Nightly Encounters
by Othelie
Summary: One night, Sasuke, drunk and eager for company, stumbles into the wrong tent. Naruto has no idea of the events their nightly encounter will set into motion. Lighthearted romance with dramatic undertones. Rated M for mature themes, of the single sex kind.
1. Chapter 1

**Nightly Encounters - Chapter 1  
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One night, Sasuke, drunk and eager for company, stumbles into the wrong tent. Naruto has no idea of the events their nightly encounter will set into motion. Lighthearted romance with dramatic undertones! Rated M for mature themes, of the single sex kind.

_Author's notes; this is the first big story I've ever dared to publish. I really wanted to finish it before I started publishing, but I'm incredibly slow, and hoping to get the push I need through having deadlines. As you will probably come to notice, this story is slightly AUish. Mostly because even though I love Naruto, I don't love everything that happens to the characters in it, and, of course, this story would be a lot more difficult to write if I followed the storyline. Although there are certainly adult themes in this story, it isn't the most serious thing I have written. There's lots of humor and even more drama, because honestly, that's what we're all in it for, right?_

_Disclaimer; I do not own any of the material depicted in this story. The official story would have looked quite different if I did._

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><p>"Hey, are you awake?" The words where whispered in a hoarse growl, not at all like the quiet and comforting voice of someone coming for a nightly visit in the dark should sound. But, like everything else he ever said, there was a hint of something sensual there.<p>

Even though the night obscured every feature, it was easy enough to put the face from so many memories to the silhouette standing in the entrance of the tent. His looks where, to be brutally honest, quite plane. Not in a boring sort of way, but simply so perfect there was hardly anything the eye could dwell on. Like a renessainse painting of some divine saint or angel. What made him interesting, was something beyond that porcelain face. Something that every woman he ever encountered seemed to sense right away. It was a longing, no, more like a hunger, that ran through every furrow of his brow and every tensing of his jaw, and gathered in the black pools of his eyes. Eyes that, even though they were as black as a midnight sky, seemed to burn with longing and hidden intensity. It was this that attracted females of every age and type, the need to satisfy his hunger and settle his longing. They were probably not even aware of the fact that their attraction to him was an answer to some deep and basic instinct, but simply acted on it, fawning all over the dark haired boy like silly hens.

But what made _him _feel all silly around Sasuke? Naruto thought to himself in the darkness. He was, after all, no girl, and far enough from being one to watch with unclouded eyes the way Sasuke's haunted look awoke the instinct to nurture and protect in every woman. He had known the boy for years, and watched the boy for years. He knew every expression, every movement of his body, and every tone of his voice. There was nothing mysterious and brooding about Sasuke to Naruto, and although Sasuke probably liked to think he was some deep well of secrets, Naruto knew that even his most secret emotions were painfully obvious on his face if you knew how to read it. So what was it that made him long to touch the other boy in all the wrong ways every time they were sparring, what was it that made Sasuke's scrawny and pale body haunt every sensual dream he ever had? It wasn't as if Sasuke was the only attractive person he knew, heck, he wasn't even the only attractive _boy_he knew, so why was it that it had to be his old teammate he wanted so bad.

When the tent flap had been pulled aside and revealed the silhouette that Naruto could probably draw in his sleep, he instantly recognized it from his repertoir of nighttime fantasies. _Good thing we don't have to share tents anymore_, he had thought to himself, because these kind of dreams had been happening far too often lately for anyone he might have shared his tent with to feel comfortable. But then something unexpected happened; Sasuke called out a name that did not belong anywhere in Naruto's "good" dreams.

"Answer Sakura! I know you can hear me."

His heart sank. There was no way that name would have been mentioned in any of his dreams as of the last few years, and especially not the kind he was expecting, so what was going on? Was this really happening?

"Come _on_Sakura, don't play hard to get. Sorry I don't want to hold your hand and play house, but that wasn't part of the deal. Honestly, you knew that from the beginning, and still agreed to this."

Those words really woke Naruto up. It took his muddled brain a few seconds to process each word and make something coherent out of them, but when he did, they didn't seem to make any sense anyway. What deal? Okay, he wasn't twelve anymore, he could probably guess what kind of deal boys and girls fullfilled in the middle of the night, but Sasuke and _Sakura?_He didn't know whether he should be disgusted or jealous. That bastard, who had never showed any interest in their female teammate, just suddenly decided to start fucking her behind everyone's backs? Or... Was it possible that they actually had fallen in love with each other? Naruto didn't know which option would be worse.

"You know you want it..." Sasuke was saying from the entrance of the small tent as he scooped closer. There was a seductive tone in his voice now, and Naruto could just imagine the half smile playing on Sasuke's pale lips as he spoke. Oh yes, how right he was, Naruto realized to his own terror, as he felt his body respond to the barely whispered words. What was he going to do? He couldn't really fathom how Sasuke could have made such an error. Even though he had been out scouting with Kakashi when he and Sakura had set up camp, he was a top trained _ninja_, for fuck's sake! Finding the tent that actually contained a girl shouldn't be that hard, even though it was dark. And it was too late to just point out the other boy's mistake by now. He couldn't really laugh away the fact that he had just been lying there for several minutes. Maybe he could fake sleep? Pretend to be in a coma?

While the blond boy was busy freaking out, the darkhaired teen closed in on the proximty between the two. It was a very small tent, so to avoid stepping all over the blond, that action required him to crawl next to Naruto's sleeping bag while leaning over him. As he got close enough for Naruto to feel his breath down his neck, an explanation to this idiotic misunderstanding presented itself with sudden clarity; the breath was sour with the stench of alcohol. So Kakashi had been in the festive mood during scouting duty today. Naruto did not like the way Kakashi was transfering all his bad habits to his young protege, conveniently forgetting all the liqour and porn Jiraya had passed his way over the years. But at least he never drank during missions, as his old frog-master tended to do. He had not known it was something Sasuke practiced either. Naruto furrowed his brow in worry over his old friend and teammate, but pushed the thought aside, realizing he had more pressing matters to worry about, as Sasuke positioned himself in a way that had him straddling Naruto's stomach and arms.

So, he had a drunk Sasuke across his chest, who thought Naruto was the girl he was currently fucking, and a body that was getting hornier by the second. Shit.


	2. Chapter 2

_Nightly Encounters - Chapter 2_

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><p>"Hey, are you awake?" He could feel himself slurring slightly on the words, but as was usually the case when he had been drinking, the thought didn't process for long enough to actually settle into some kind of conclusion. He knew that Sakura didn't like him drunk though, and spent a few moments trying to gather his wits enough to actually articulate full sentences. Shit, he was blasted. He should have learned his lesson long ago and not let Kakashi coax him into taking that first sip from the flask. Somehow, it just went from there to not being able to walk in a straight line in no time at all. He never even seemed to remember drink number three, four, five, six and who knew how many more.<p>

Before his mind drifted too far off, Sasuke was reminded of the drunken urge he had gotten on the way back to his own tent, and called out in a voice coloured by impatience; "answer Sakura! I know you can hear me."

A sharp intake of breath told him that he had actually been heard, even though the dark form by his feet seemed to be sleeping.

Annoyed that she was playing games when he just wanted to get on with it, he called out into the darkness once more; "Come _on _Sakura, don't play hard to get. Sorry I don't want to hold your hand and play house, but that wasn't part of the deal. Honestly, you knew that from the beginning, and still agreed to this."

Some part of his brain knew that wasn't exactly the most smooth speech he had delivered in his life, but he was tired of her games. She had been after him since they were children, and he had known from the very first declaration of love that he had no interest in her whatsoever. Over the course of many years as teammates, their relationship had grown into a certain fondness, but he still found her completely uninteresting and annoying, like he did most girls. Of course, that had changed. He was a bit of a late bloomer, but puberty had hit him as hard as anyone, and for the first time, he realized that girls had a certain use. For the first time, he found that being adored by everything female had it's perks, and he had been with some girls in the village and in the villages they visited. But what really annoyed him was the fact that the urges always came back, often at the most inconvenient of moments. It was during an occasion just like tonight that the obvious solution had come to him in the shape of a drunken mistake.

Certain that he would get what he wanted, he settled into the voice he knew Sakura could never resist.

"You know you want it..."

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><p>"Wow, you're skinny. Are you on a diet or something? Not really digging the abs there hun." The dark haired boy mumbled as he settled himself atop Naruto.<p>

He tried to respond, but found that the only sound that came out of his throat was a squeak. He was completely frozen by the shock of how intimately close the other boy suddenly was, and could not for the life of him find a way to convey the mistake Sasuke should have discovered long ago. _Shit, he must be drunk! _Naruto thought to himself, as he felt fingers working to unbutton his pajamas. He was almost surprised that the blush he was currently sporting didn't make him glow in the dark, but he couldn't deny to himself that the situation wasn't slightly exciting. Suddenly the boy atop him leaned in for a kiss. Naruto couldn't even control his reaction then, he simply panicked. This was _not _how he wanted his first kiss taken, _for the second time_, went through his head before he started trashing wildly to get away. He wanted to scream as well, but couldn't bear the thought of anyone walking in on the scene, so he held his tongue. Sasuke was bigger and heavier, and had him pinned down, but the sudden movement surprised him, and Naruto managed to get his arms loose. He wanted to hit the bastard so bad, but he didn't have any space to move his arm in, so in his desperation he scratched and pushed at the other boy as viciously as he could.

Sasuke was completely taken by surprise at the sudden attack, and for a moment just sat there stunned. In all the months they had been sleeping together, Sakura had never reacted like _this. _His brain was screaming at him that this situation was all wrong, that the person below him wasn't just skinny, the stomach he was sitting on was pure muscle, in a way that no girl could achieve, that the sounds the other person was making wasn't girly groans, but deep and gruff grunts, and that the shadowy sillhuete before him had a chin and shoulders far too broad to belong to the pink haired girl he had in mind. But not only was Sasuke drunk at this point - he was goddamn horny as well, and even if these disturbing thoughts did register somewhere in his mind, that wasn't the body part he was thinking with anymore.

Just then Naruto scratched his hand across Sasuke's face, causing a deep gash to open below his eye. The pain made Sasuke grunt, and in a moment of pure anger, he grabbed the struggling arms trashing about and pinned them above the other's head. Naruto made a whimpering noise and grasped for his voice to stop Sasuke once and for all, but in that instance, the other boy leaned forward and pushed his lips violently against his mouth. It was in no way a thoughtful kiss, and the setting made it far from romantic. But Naruto was an unkissed teenage boy; he didn't need to be cuddled - his body demanded satisfaction. He felt himself losing control of his body as his hands grabbed Sasuke's smooth black locks in a tight grip that must have hurt. He smashed their faces together and locked his lips to the other boy.

The unfamiliar feel and taste of Naruto's mouth was what it took to make Sasuke realize the horrible mistake he had made, but as he started pushing away in bewilderment, he felt hands grabbing violently at his hair and forcing him back down.

The kiss was fumbling and clumsy as they both fought for control with the urgency of youth. But passionate rage burned between them like scorching fire, and neither had thought for anything else than instant gratification

After the initial shock of passion the kiss had brought on it all felt so natural then and there that Sasuke hardly realized what he was doing as he moved his lips to nibble the other boy's earlobe. As his lips stroked across stripes of raised and rough scar tissue, Sasuke confirmed in his mind what he should have known from the moment he touched the other boy. He knew that there was something wrong about the whole situation; Naruto was after all (even though he was far more interesting than any of them), no girl, and therefore not meant to be used in this way. _But now that we're here, both eager, why not?_ Concluded his alcohol-clouded mind. He nibbled and sucked his way down the soft skin of Naruto's neck, coming to a halt by the neckline of the pajamas. As he tugged at the top to get access to more skin, it suddenly dawned on him that there was no swelling breast beneath this shirt. He stopped for a second, unsure what to do next, or if he even wanted to continue, but the choice was soon taken for him.

Feeling feverishly warm and with no thoughts for anything but what was right in front of him, Naruto still managed to be embarrassed at how much of a virgin pussy he was acting. He saw his chance at taking the control again when Sasuke lifted his hand from his arms, and used his legs to flip the other boy of him. Without ever letting go of his mouth, Naruto sat himself across Sasuke, effectively switching their positions in a matter of seconds. Happy with the change of power this indicated, Naruto let go of Sasuke's midnight locks and put his hands on the other boys chest instead. Slowly, he slid his hands under the pale boy's shirt and felt his way across the smooth, hairless chest. It was a weird feeling; there was no fat to cushion the rock hard muscles, but the skin was as soft as any girl he'd ever gotten the privilege of touching.

A bit unsure what to do now that he was on top, he did the first thing he could think of, and started touching and kissing his was across the pale chest. After a few seconds, he could hear a groan, and a big hand took firmly a hold of his hair and pushed his head downwards. Naruto was a bit annoyed at getting handled so roughly, and almost shouted something, but was stopped abruptly when he felt a hard lump beneath his cheek.

… Seriously? _That's _what he wanted? He halted slightly, and looked up at the other's face, even though he couldn't even see it in the dark. Another groan, this time an annoyed one, and the forceful hand left his head and travelled downwards. Sasuke grabbed the front of Naruto's pajama pants and pulled him up again. He then thrust his hand down his pants, and grabbed a hold of Naruto' privates, sliding his hand back and forth with just enough force. Naruto's reaction was immediate; he let out a loud moan and instantly lost all force in his whole body. The only thing keeping him from collapsing atop the other boy was the desperate fear that Sasuke might stop doing the wondrous things he was currently doing with his hand. He had never imagined the difference between yourself and another person doing the same thing could be this huge.

All too soon, he could feel the familiar trembling of satisfaction. For a second, he panicked, unsure about what to do. Then a complete and utter satisfaction flowed through him, and he shuddered before cuming all over Sasuke's hand, then collapsed atop of him.

A few seconds passed, then he could hear an irritated groan, and Sasuke's velvet voice sighing the word "gross" loudly. Sasuke's hand left Naruto's pants, and he could feel the other boy wiping it on the back of his pajama. With sudden force, both of Sasuke's hands came down on his head with full force, pushing him down to his groin, demanding repayment. This time, Naruto understood what was expected of him. He pushed down the other boy's pants, stumbling at first, but with fierce determination.

Sasuke barely knew what he was doing anymore. When he felt sticky, warm liquid hit his hand, he was thrown out of the passionate haze for a minute, his disgust overshadowing even the drunken buzz. His usual reaction to Naruto suddenly kicked in, and he refused to be the used one for even a second longer. If he felt humiliated, Naruto should be feeling so victimized his embarrassment paled in comparison. And with that thought in mind, he drove the blond head down to his own crotch almost violently. Sakura hated it if he pushed her around, and she definitely did not enjoy giving blow-jobs, even though she pretended otherwise, and for a guy, it would probably be even more awkward, so it seemed a suitable enough punishment. He was almost shocked by how easily he'd pleasured the other boy. He'd barely even thought about the fact that he was actually touching some other guy's junk. The moaning and bucking had been just like any girl, the climax perhaps even hotter than with a girl, because he knew just how Naruto felt. He'd just been driven along with the heat of things, not thinking.  
>His rapid train of thought was abruptly halted when he felt something wet trailing down the tip of his member. He drew his breath in a sharp hiss and suddenly tensed. The pressure built steadily as Naruto went on teasing, and he just felt like kicking him, but the mellowness in his legs kept him from moving at all. After what seemed like an eternity, the blond finally took it in his mouth, and Sasuke couldn't help but letting out a loud moan at the steady pulling motion. Mortified by the sound, Sasuke swore softly to himself. He never made silly lovesounds, that was the girl's job! Naruto wasn't even that good. But it just felt like such a relief after all the teasing, like a climax before the climax. As Naruto picked up the rythm, Sasuke lost all thought for anything, and clasped the bedding hard to keep from screaming loudly as he suddenly erupted into violent shuddering motions.<p> 


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter three of Nightly encounters**

_Author's notes; what happens when the afterglow fades? A bit of a rough beginning in this chapter. That's the one part of fanfiction I can't seem to figure out; I'm terrible at splitting my stories into chapters. I write it as a single story, so I have trouble finding the natural pauses in it. I'm going to try and improve that. And though I realize this AN is becoming far too long, I just have to mention that the document uploader seems to be eating my spaces. I will therefore shamelessly blame it for every grammatical mistake in this story. _

_I'm really happy about how many people has already read this story, and especially those who faved it or put it on alert. I hope someone takes the trouble of reviewing it too, because I'm really curious about what you think. I would love some helpful feedback, be it critizism or compliments. I really loved the comment that simply stated how awkward this would be in the morning. My feelings exactly._

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><p>The sudden salty and bitter taste in his mouth came like a complete surprise, a few moments before the twitching and rapid motions peaked. His first impulse was to spit it back out, but he knew all too well what it felt like to be disrupted in the middle of cumming, and kept going for a few moments longer. When Sasuke finished and pulled away, he understood the easiest thing would be to swallow everything, but the thick liquid seemed to grow in his mouth, and it just wouldn't go down. He felt as if he would throw up, and quickly leaned outside the tent to spit everything out. As he turned back in, wiping at his mouth, the moonlight caught Sasuke's face staring smugly at him.<p>

"What? Can't take it like a man?" He said in a superior and slightly drowsy tone.

"No problem there, it just had a little too much flavour of bastard for my tastes." He returned the smile rather halfheartedly, unable to look into the other's eyes.

He got a short laughing snort in return. "Better be on my way then, so sorry I stumbled in here by accident. Really not worth mentioning to the others or anything, right? An honest mistake." Sasuke said a he rustled his way out of the tent and swayed over to his own on the other side of the sooty remains of their campfire. Naruto didn't know if he was just as embarrassed as he was, or if he really was that nonchalant, but he got the message. He waited till the dark silhouette was out of sight before he quickly leaned outside the tent to scoop some dirt over the wet patch, and dived back into bed, where he curled into a small ball under his covers. Now that it was all over and done with, a feeling of dirtiness crept upon him. It had been a dream of his for so long now to touch, perhaps even kiss, Sasuke. Tonight he'd been able to go further than he'd ever thought he would, but he didn't feel as euphoric as he ought to have felt. No matter how much of a sexually frustrated teenage boy he was, he was also a virgin. Sasuke might not know that, or he might not care, but no matter how willing he'd been in the moment of passion, he had a sneaking dark feeling that he'd been brutally used tonight.

A small sob escaped him, and Naruto curled even tighter in on himself to strangle the sound. He would allow himself to cry right now, but only so that it would not repeat itself later. He was going to be happy about this! At least he wasn't really a virgin anymore, and that was better than what Kiba could brag about. He was going to get over this hopeless crush of his, until it was only a fond memory of silly teenagers he could look back on, and move on to better things. His infatuation with Sasuke was, and had always been, a hopeless daydream, and the hurt he was feeling now was the prize for imagining anything else.

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><p>The whole day had been a complete torment. Sasuke could feel his head throbbing even before he got out of bed that morning, and the rest of the day did not improve it much. He'd spent most of it moping around the camp, avoiding Kakashi's gaze as best as he could every hour when it was time to scout the area or do other chores. He got of easily though, because Naruto was very eager to volunteer. He had actually been jumping at every opportunity to get out of the camp the whole day.<p>

He felt very weird about seeing the other boy that morning and they both did their best not to make eye contact. He felt that he should be very embarrassed, but the whole incident was kind of blurry in his memory. Just what did they do anyway? How far did they go? Messing around with another guy was a little sick, but the fact that it was such an out of character thing for him to do enabled him to blame the whole thing on the alcohol. It wouldn't happen again, that was for sure, and Naruto seemed just as eager to pretend it never happened. All in all; it was an interesting experience that he thankfully did not remember much of, and hopefully the whole thing would just be forgotten after the inital awkwardness. He leaned back leisurely, just as Kakashi was walking over, no doubt with some order on the tip of his tongue.

"Hey, we need something to eat tonight. You're the only one who hasn't done anything today, so get off your butt and catch something." The older man ordered in his usual teasing tone.

Sasuke simply groaned loudly, and received a masked grin in return.

"If ya can't hold your liquor, you shouldn't drink that much. Go catch food now!" He exclaimed with a shooing motion, just as Naruto walked up to them from behind.

"I'll do it sensei, I want fried cod for supper, and I'm best at catching that. I need a bath anyway." The blond boy said in a timid voice, looking into the ground.

Kakashi turned toward him, scratching his head in a confused gesture. "You've been at your feet the whole day, and you'll still take this slacker's work? Whatever you say kid, just make sure you catch something decent."

The older ninja walked away humming to himself, completely ignoring the fact that the work he had done that day had been just as minimal as Sasuke's.

Just so that Kakashi wouldn't have any more reason to complain, he fetched some shuriken to polish. He found an old rag, poured a little oil on it, and set to scrubbing. Just as he was really getting into the monotone, but satisfying chore, a shadow blocked his view. He looked up quickly, only to realise it was just a dripping wet Naruto walking by. He rolled his eyes. Of course, he'd forgotten the boy's idea of fishing was splashing around like a drowning three-year-old. He glanced over to see if he'd actually gotten anything, just as Naruto was bending to fetch a new sweatshirt, giving him an excellent view of Naruto's smooth, tanned legs and wet shorts-covered ass. Hn. Naruto had a surprisingly fit body for being such an idiot. Strange of him to cover it up in those horrid track suits...

Wait a second... He thought as his eyes widened in shock. Did he just check Naruto out? He felt himself going red from the mortification. God, was his hormones in overdrive or something?

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><p>Naruto sat down by the fireside with a large sigh after just having finished his evening guard. He had been driving himself to the brink trying to avoid Sasuke lately, and it was tiring him out - a feeling he was not very familiar with.<p>

He didn't really know what to do with the current situation. Initially, he had been too shy to even look at Sasuke. That feeling had gradually passed, only to be replaced by a crippling tension. Even though he had promised himself to stop crushing on the other boy, he felt that he could at least be allowed to miss that grumpy asshole in a platonic sense. Sasuke was one of his oldest friends, after all. The only problem was that awful awkwardness hindering every attempt at reconciliation. The other boy somehow seemed even more drawn in than usual, and he couldn't seem to find the courage to take the conversation into his own hands, as he usually always had to do when it came to Sasuke.

"That's an awful lot of sighing I've been hearing from you lately Naruto. Something wrong?" Sakura asked from where she was currently heating some tea close to the fire.

"No, nothing really, just tired," Naruto replied averting his gaze slightly.

Naruto was surprised that he still managed to talk to Sakura without any tension, knowing what he now did. Then again, they had survived his awkward crush, and come out better friends because of it. Nowadays they actually got along great. What she did at night was her own business, and he actually felt bad for knowing her secret when she had chosen not to tell him.

Just then Sasuke walked by. As he passed the other teens, he spared them a quick glance, before furrowing his brow and moving on to take his place as the night watch.

Sakura watched him leave in silence, before turning back to Naruto and asking, in a slightly low voice, "something going on between the two of you?"

"Nothing much. How so?" Naruto asked in a level voice.

"Oh, well you know. The tension hasn't physically manifested yet, but it's getting there. Did you really not think the rest of us noticed?"

"Shit. Kakashi-sensei too?" Naruto said with a worried frown, giving up all pretensions of indifference.

"Well, I'm sure he's noticed, but I highly doubt he gives a damn, as long as you keep doing your job." Sakura said with a shrug. "I, on the other hand, can't help getting drawn into crap like this. Whatever it is you got going on, I think you should fix it. You've somehow managed to be friends for far too long to suddenly change your minds now."

Naruto couldn't help but chuckle at her straight-forwardness. "It's nothing big really. But you know me and Sasuke; we won't sit down and start talking about our feelings like a couple of chicks. Only problem is that it's so awkward between us right now, and knowing that, I get nervous, and when I get nervous I start to fidget and don't know what to say. And Sasuke isn't exactly the most chatty guy to begin with, so then we're kinda screwed."

Sakura rolled her eyes and sighed in exasperation. "And of course, you won't say anything about what you actually fought about. Typical guy. Well, knowing Sasuke, you'll obviously have to be the one to break the ice, but you don't have to make it harder than it is. Just go up to him and say something completely normal. All that tension's probably just in your head anyway."

"Hm, that's actually a really good idea." Naruto said, sitting up straight as if he had been given some valuable insight. Of course it was that easy! Sasuke hadn't really indicated in any way that he found the situation half as awkward as him, he mostly just sulked around anyway. It wasn't as if he had actually done anything wrong, and if he just went up to Sasuke and acted as if nothing had ever happened between them, Sasuke would probably take the hint.

"God, you boys. You master rare ANBU-level techniques and battle missing nins as if it's nothing. But making up after a fight is asking for too much." Sakura exclaimed, shaking her head in exasperation.

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><p>Sasuke was sitting by himself, chewing on a stale piece of bread for breakfast. He was completely in his own world, staring broodingly into the dark coals of the firepit, wishing this mission would just end soon. The whole thing was a complete waste of time, and clearly just the result of some miners with too much money on their hands. They had been staking out a silver mine for weeks, waiting for an attack that might or might not happen. The only thing they had to go by where vague rumors of a party of unemployed mercenaries that had been spotted in the area, and they had orders not to leave before a possible attack on the mine was carried out. This was the kind of mission that earned Konoha the big money, because it required a whole party over a longer period of time, but it was dead boring. All of them were really too high level for this kind of thing, but they had been called out especially because of those stupid sightings. This mining business was a good customer of Konoha, and when a client like that said they wanted constant surveillance until the threat was gone, <em>something<em> had to be taken out before they were allowed to return to Konoha. And even then there was the recuperation period stopping them from leaving Konoha for a while after such a long term mission, effectively hindering him from getting anything good for a long time.

Sasuke thought it was all a load of bullshit. He didn't know how much more time he could possibly spend in this camp, with nothing but distractions everywhere. He hated how awkward Naruto was acting, and even more so how awkward it made him feel. God, how much he hated everyone.

He was disrupted in his dark reverie by the sound of someone clearing their throat, and looked up to see Naruto hovering above him. He was still annoyed, and the blond seemed to jump when he saw the scowl that was covering Sasuke's face. He started walking backwards while mumbling something unintelligible that sounded a lot like - "Hi, um, so yeah... How's it... I'm, you know. Training... Huh, hugh. Never mind." while blushing deeply, before running of.

Sasuke liked the tone Naruto's skin got when he was blushing. His tan got a pinkish hue that looked very good on him, and he seemed a little less infuriatingly sure of himself.

As he realised the ridiculousness of the tracks his mind was once again entering, he slapped himself hard across the cheek, and returned to the business of scowling into the fireplace. That's exactly the kind of thing that annoyed him. This place was messing up his mind.

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><p><em>I hope this didn't stop as unnaturally as the last chapter. I'm trying to keep my wordcount around 2000 for each chapter. I know that's not a lot, but I write kind of slowly, so I have to make sure I don't get in over my head. Doesn't help that I constantly have to fight the urge to edit the parts I've already published. Gah! I hope you readers don't find this chapter very boring. It doesn't have a lot of romantic action, but I do think story development is important even in silly fluff like this. <em>

_PS. Aaaand, because I was feeling bad about how short this was, I added a whole scene. Yeah, I'm stupid. But not as much as Sasuke, I guess._


	4. Chapter 4

**_Chapter 4 of Nightly encounters_**

_Author's notes: ARGH! All of my glorious author's notes and edits were just deleted! Well fuck you very much, ff! Be sad and unedited then! Instead of writing it all again I'll just say it said something about how great it is to torture Naruto and make Sasuke stupid, and that I really love you reviewers, but can't show that love because I'm too stupid to know how to answer you._ _Blablahblahyouwon'treadthisanywaybye._

* * *

><p>"Do you feel like doing some quick sparring?" The question was voiced in a nonchalant tone, and sounded just a bit too relaxed. Naruto winced mentally, but tried to keep a straight face, now that he'd finally built up the courage to ask.<p>

He'd spent the whole night building his courage and figuring out what he should say, to avoid the flustering failure of his last attempt at reconciliation. He'd been avoiding Sasuke for days now, and it was getting kind of ridiculous. There was, after all, a limit to how little you could see of someone in a camp of only four people. Sparring seemed like the obvious thing to do, since it had always taken the edge off fights before. And it was a logical thing to ask Sasuke, since they were the only ones in the camp with the same size. He winced as he recalled trying to spar with Sakura, and all the bruises that followed. That girl just didn't know her own strength.

Sasuke stared imploringly at him for a moment, but seemed satisified with what he found, and averted his gaze, before uttering an accepting grunt.

Naruto sighed with relief, barely annoyed at the grumpy behaviour of his companion.

They worked themselves into a sweaty mess that afternoon, both going at it with all they had. Of course, neither used anything else than basic taijutsu, so as to not seriously harm the other. Naruto couldn't help but grin as he got really into it. He had decided to completely wipe the uncomfortable experience from the other day from his mind, and forgetting about his romantic attachment to Sasuke was going surprisingly well. Going back to being nothing more than friends felt good, and everything was so natural and normal, he couldn't help being happy. Not to mention, he seemed to be beating Sasuke.

* * *

><p>The whole world went spinning as Naruto's fist hit the side of his head with enough force to send him reeling. Sasuke fell to the ground in a daze, not so much from the punch as from the shock that Naruto seemed to be beating him.<p>

It felt good to get some proper training done, but something wasn't feeling right today. He couldn't seem to concentrate. Every time he landed a really good punch or kick, all he could think about was the feeling of Naruto's warm and smooth, slightly sweaty skin. If he managed to wrestle him down for a moment, he would inhale the sharp and musky odour of the other and forget his next move. It was quite annoying really.

As Naruto moved in to see if he was okay, Sasuke used one of his less noble moves, consisting of kicking the feet from under the other boy's body and pinning him down before he could regain his balance. A victorious smile curved his lips, as he has gained the upper hand.

Naruto's body was warm and wet below him. He had an enraged look upon his face, and writhed in an attempt to break free. Sasuke froze for a second as memory supplied him with a hazy recollection of a similar situation not too far in the past, which was all Naruto needed to flip Sasuke of him and deliver a painful knee to the stomach. Sasuke fell over on the ground, clutching his abdomen in silence for a few moments, while Naruto hovered around him - alternating between apologizing profusely, and claiming how easy it should have been to block.

* * *

><p>That night, for the first time in days, Naruto felt utterly and completely relaxed. His stomach was full, he was slightly sore from that day's training, and the tent felt cozy and warm. Most importantly though; he had rediscovered a dear friend.<p>

Though he would never admit it, he couldn't even begin to describe how much Sasuke meant to him. The things they had shared, and the pain they had never mentioned, but still shared - Sasuke was probably the closest Naruto came to having someone who understood him. They barely liked each other, and fought constantly, but Naruto imagined that was what it was like to have a brother. He had forgotten the value of that in the silliness of his crush. Being friends felt so natural that he wondered why he'd been ever been interested in messing things up with more complicated feelings.

He leaned back with a content sigh, a slight smile on his lips.

* * *

><p>Unable to sleep, Sasuke sat up with a discontented growl. He'd slept badly for days, and was dead tired. Every nigh, his head was full of restless thoughts, his body tossing and turning, effectively stopping every attempt at a good night's sleep. He was full of nervous energy, but didn't seem to want to do anything. He was in a constant state of frustration, but didn't really feel like visiting Sakura either. All she did lately was whine about how distracted he was and that they needed to talk. He was tired of her, to be honest.<p>

Usually he would blow of his frustration through training, but there were limited options out here in the wilderness, and sparring with Naruto just seemed to add to his distractions. Something was seriously wrong with him, and his normally prodigious brain could not figure it out.

He eased back into his pillow, and forced himself to lie still until he drifted into an uneasy sleep.

* * *

><p>Naruto sat up with a start as he heard his tent flap rustling. For a disorientating moment, he was certain that Sasuke had messed up and gone into the wrong tent again, but before he had a chance to decide how he felt about that, the moonlight highlighted his guest's hair, revealing it to be long and pale tinted. He breathed a sigh of relief.<p>

"Sakura, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, sorry, did I wake you up? I didn't mean to startle you." As she talked, she sunk to her knees by the entrance of the tent, pushing some loose strands of hair behind her ear in a self conscious gesture.

Naruto scooted up into a sitting position, rubbing at his eyes. "That's alright. I was just a bit surprised. Lucky thing I recognized you before my ninja reflexes kicked in."

Sakura just snorted at this. "Yeah, I could have been in real danger there."

Naruto chose to ignore the dripping sarcasm. "So, um, did you want something? Or did you just miss my handsome face?"

Sakura smacked his leg before snorting out a laugh.

"Actually... I came to talk to you about something. It's kind of a big secret, but I'm going crazy without anybody to talk to, and, well, I know I can trust you, I guess." As she spoke, she fidgeted with her hair, clothes, and basically anything she got her hands on. Naruto had a certain idea what it might be that she wanted to confess, and even though he wasn't really that comfortable with it, Sakura had no way of knowing that. He cared about her, and if she needed someone to talk to, he felt like he should do at least that for her.

"Hey, you can tell me anything. I'm good at keeping secrets." He finally answered with a slight smile.

Sakura blushed when she looked up at him, before quickly diverting her gaze, and continuing her fidgeting. "Well, I'll just go ahead and say it, promise not to faint or anything... Sasuke-kunandIareinarelationship." As she finished speaking she looked up quickly through her bangs.

Naruto couldn't help himself; a short snort escaped him at the word "relationship". Could it really be defined as that? Not that he had gotten a thorough explanation from Sasuke, but judging by what he could gather from his drunken blubbering, they were far from going steady. But he couldn't blame Sakura either for making the best of a painful situation. If Sasuke was using her, it wasn't strange at all that she had at least convinced herself otherwise.

But then again, what do I really know? Naruto thought to himself. He might just be fooling himself. Of course _he_ wouldn't believe that Sasuke could love Sakura; he was crushing on the guy, or had been crushing on him, at least. He had promised himself to stop being foolish, and now that he had finally managed to rebuild their friendship, didn't he owe Sasuke the benefit of the doubt? Although it made _him_ feel better, assuming that Sasuke was just cruelly using Sakura was a very mean thing to think about a close friend.

Tearing himself away from his reverie, Naruto refocused on Sakura. She was biting her lip, clearly nervous about the silence that had followed her announcement. He forced his mouth into a smile, and patted her hand in a comforting gesture. "Hey, no need to look so nervous! I'm was just a bit taken aback. I'm really happy for you, though I don't see why you would keep it from the rest of us. Is it serious?" He tried to let the last question sound as casual as the rest, but didn't know if it was convincing.

"We haven't really said anything in words yet, if that's what you mean, but you know. I guess you could say we're taking it slow. No reason to ruin things by forcing it into a box." She seemed obviously relieved at his reaction, though his question clearly bothered her. Naruto didn't know what to think. He couldn't help feeling a small twinge of resentment, but kicked himself mentally for the stupidity of it.

"Actually, that's kinda what I wanted to talk to you about." Sakura continued. "Lately... Lately, Sasuke-kun has seemed a bit distracted. He doesn't want to talk to me about it, and I can't help wondering if he's mad at me, - if I've done anything. I know you two doesn't talk a lot about your emotions, but I figured you might have some idea of what's bothering him. If it isn't me, I mean."

Naruto could only answer that he quite honestly didn't know. He had also noticed that the other boy seemed a bit distracted, but acting strange was part of Sasuke's normal behaviour.

"Yeah, but, but he... He doesn't really want to be _intimate_ with me either lately. He's never been that fond of talking, but at least he used to..." The sentence drew out into silence, and Sakura sniffled slightly, probably trying to hold back tears.

Sasuke and Sakura being _together_ was not something Naruto wanted to dwell on mentally, let alone talk about, but he was a sucker for crying girls, and couldn't help himself. He put an arm around her, and said in his most reassuring tone - "I can't imagine that you could have done anything wrong. At least I think he would have told you if it was anything serious. He isn't the type to tolerate bullshit. He's probably just in one of his moods. You know how many issues he has."

Sakura sighed. "I wish I could be as carefree as you are, Naruto," she said with a sad smile, while wiping her tears.

He couldn't stop it from stinging slightly. Sakura might be a close friend, but there was a lot she just didn't see.

Sakura got to her feet, and crouched to get out of the tent. As she was leaving, she stuck her head back into the small opening. "Thanks a billion, by the way. I feel a lot better now. Love you."

As he heard her leaving, Naruto shouted after her; "love you more!"

Girls were the strangest creatures. One minute they were crying their eyes out, and the next you couldn't even see a trace of sadness. He did feel a bit bad about not telling her about his own involvement with Sasuke though, now that she was being so honest with him. Hadn't Sasuke kind of cheated on her? Did it count when one part thought he was with the right partner until about halfway into it and the other was barely willing? But then again, it wasn't as if that incident had meant anything. Telling her would only mess things up, and there was no need for that when it was of such little importance to any of the parties involved. Some things were best buried and never spoken of again.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in a tent not so far away, Sasuke sat up with a start. Sweat covered every inch of his body, his hair was a mess, and he had a wild look in his eyes. He'd just had the most vivid dream of his life. It had started out nice; just the usual - him killing Itachi slowly and painfully in about fifty different ways - when suddenly, the situation changed. Instead of cries of agony, his victim was uttering moans of pleasure. The knife in his hand was gone, and in front of him was a tan, lean muscular and naked body. As he realised all of this, a voice uttered the word "Sasuke" in a shaky, begging moan. Looking into the face of the speaker, he was met with two impossibly blue and deep eyes. That's when he had woken up, terrified, shaken and impossibly horny, with a simple word on his lips...<p>

"_Naruto_."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter five of Nightly Encounters**

_Author's notes: This one comes a little later than it is supposed to. Mainly due to the fact that I am incredibly and horribly ill. I am not kidding; everytime I've as much as stood up this week, the whole world has gone spinning, and I'm falling behind on my work and pretty much everything. I truly, honestly hate the world right now. The next chapter will probably be late too, as this one was pretty much finished by the time I got sick. *sigh*_

_On the other hand, I really love you guys! Before I fell before this terrible sickness, I was in raptures about the interesting and cool things you manage to ask. I tried to answer some of it here, but it turned out to be horribly long drawn, and I know very well how boring long AN are. So I tried to answer at least some questions on my writing blog instead. For those of you interested, it can be found here; funkylookinfruit (dot-wordpress-dot-com) (They're really good at not letting you post webpages, aren't they?)  
><em>

_Now onwards with the story!_

* * *

><p>Naruto was jumping up and down in the crisp morning air, watching his breath make misty clouds in front of his face and desperately trying to keep warm. He had been brutally torn out of his sleep a lot earlier than usual when his blanket slipped and left him exposed to the freezing air. Initally, he had planned on snuggling up next to the fire until the sun had made the day bearable, but no one had lit it since last night. He couldn't seem to find any matches either. The one that usually did this stuff was Sasuke, as he was the only one stupid enough to actually get up at this hour, but he was nowhere to be seen, and he seemed to have taken their matches with him. Too bad he didn't have some badass fire-technique, like a certain someone. Typical of that bastard really; never around when he was useful.<p>

* * *

><p>Holding his breath to stop himself from uttering any unmanly sounds, Sasuke finally stepped into the small river and moved to position himself under the small but violent waterfall in the middle of it. The water was freezing, not at all like the slowly running sunwarmed water by their camp. This place was where they usually went to get their drinking water, because it was higher up, and less likely to be infected by anything.<p>

He had actually been on water-fetching duty when he had gotten the brilliant idea of taking a dip. Or more like a shower anyway. A cold shower. He'd heard those were effective during periods of... Frustration. Even taken quite a lot of them himself when he had first entered puberty, though that had been years ago. But seeing the ice cold water now, he remembered how quickly they dissolved all kinds of needs for anything but dry clothes and warmth, and taken a quick decision. A decision he had come to regret deeply as he got closer to the waterfall, getting hit by ice cold pinpricks of waterspray that almost felt like real needles.

Well, not entirely as painful as that, Sasuke noted to himself with a slight shudder, remembering the missing nin Haku's special technique. Of course, that train of thought brought him straight to the one thing he was trying to avoid thinking of, or rather, person he was trying to avoid thinking of. The intense need to protect that had flowed through him during that battle, the fierce feeling of attachment, unlike anything he'd felt since he was a child. All for the sake of that annoying idiot. He'd been such a child back then.

Quickly, Sasuke stepped into the seething water gushing forth from the stones a few feet above him, instantly regretting it, before all thought was swept from his mind. He was very happy that no one was around to hear the short, but sharp scream that escaped him.

* * *

><p>He heard the other boy before he saw him. The loud clattering of teeth could be heard even before Sasuke passed the clutter of trees separating their camp from the river. He turned and watched with amusement as Sasuke, looking like a drowned rat, walked into view.<p>

"You know it's the bucket that goes in the water, right?"

All he got in return was grunt.

Feeling slightly sorry for the other boy, as he was clearly freezing his ass of, Naruto quickly made a peace offering.

"Hey, if you do one of those neeto little fire-breathing-tricks of yours and get the fire started right away, I'll make us breakfast, _and _you can borrow my blanket while I make it!"

Sasuke said nothing, but his mouth did twitch slightly upwards, and Naruto stepped aside quickly, just in case the Uchiha decided to fry him too.

Quickly, Sasuke activated one of the more discreet katon-techniques his family controlled, and kept it small enough not to torch the whole camp. The technique did the trick though, and the cooking-fire was ready in moments. Naruto threw his blanket in Sasuke's general direction as he scrambled around for something quick and easy to eat.

* * *

><p>Naruto's cooking was, as expected, bland. But it was warm and filled him up, and therefore, improved his mood instantly. He was about ready for seconds by the time Naruto had managed to shuffle some food onto his own plate and walked over. To Sasuke's great surprise, the other boy sat down right next to him. He looked quizzically at him as he grabbed a corner of the blanket and scooted even closer.<p>

"Erhm. Naruto, what are you doing?"

"What does it look like? I'm taking my half of the blanket. Did you think I would let you keep it all to yourself? If you're gonna be stingy then you can go fetch your own."

With this reply, Sasuke returned to his plate. He really did want seconds, but didn't feel much like moving to get some right now. It was nice and warm here. Of course, he could bully Naruto into doing it, but that didn't tempt much either. He was very aware of the closeness brought on by the blanket; Naruto's shoulder slumping into his, their thighs pushing into each other, how extraordinarily warm the blond boy's skin was - and realized that he actually enjoyed it. Just sitting next to Naruto like this, eating in silence. It felt strangely comforting. With a slight tinge of red in his cheeks, he sat very still, not wanting the moment to end. Eventually though, he had to get up, as his body was, once again, reacting to Naruto in all the wrong ways. He did not know if he would be able to control himself if he kept sitting there. That stupid idiot. Why couldn't he just be the silly creature he had always been, and leave his hormones alone? There had to be something in the water around here.

* * *

><p>"Goddamnit Sasuke, could you be any slower?" Naruto shouted as he once again had to wait for the other boy to catch up. They were supposed to scout for possible threats, but Sasuke had been showing attitude the whole morning, constantly falling behind, acting grumpy and mouthing off. He was getting sick of it.<p>

"What's the rush? This is completely useless anyway. No point in hurrying when we're not really going anywhere." Sasuke said as he sauntered up to him with that infuriatingly challenging attitude.

"Yeahyeah, gotta love the dedication there. You're probably right though. We've scouted the whole area in this direction. We could head west, but then we'd be missing everything between the camp and here." Pushing his annoyance aside, Naruto tried to keep a stricktly professional tone.

"Or we could just go back to camp and actually do something useful, instead of running around like idiots."

"Don't you think you ought to take this a little more seriously?" Naruto said, trying not to let the irritation shine through.

"Why? Everyone knows the only point of this mission is sucking up to rich businessmen. The only reason they've even sent someone above chuunin-level is to show some muscle. We could spend the entirety of this mission fishing by the river, and it would make absolutely no difference to the results." Sasuke said with a slight shrug.

"Wether this mission is _useful _or not isn't up to you to decide. Konoha probably has a bit more insight into this than you do, and instead of showing attitude, you should trust in their competency."

"The only _trust _I place in Konoha is in the fact that they will use their ninja for what they're worth, and exploit every opportunity that manpower provides. And as far as I'm concerned, the minute they stop appreciating my powers, that trust is gone."

Naruto couldn't help but feeling hurt at the coldness of Sasuke's voice.

"I can't believe even you would say something that cynical. You're talking about the town that raised and fed you for most of your life. Is there no ideals left in you? Is your only motif in being a ninja to gain more power?"

"The ones that raised me and fed me was my family. Or at least they tried. I don't remember Konoha doing a very good job of protecting _them _when it came down to business. The fact that you feel grateful for the way that town took care of you just shows how ignorant you are." Sasuke replied with a sneer.

"Okay, that's it. I've had it with your fucking shit. I know that you have issues, but I really do believe I am entitled to say that so have I, and you don't see me walking around like a huge asshole."

He knew his words would probably provoke Sasuke, who did not like to be reminded of any of his traumas, but he was seriously pissed of at how insensitive his old teammate could be.

"You think we're the same? You never had a real family. You never felt the pain of losing anyone. That sad excuse for a town that you call family might seem like a viable option when you've never had anything better, but none of them really care. Hell, most of the town even treated you like crap your whole childhood. I wasn't lucky enough live in ignorant bliss of what a family is supposed to be, and settling for the occasional visitor to check if I was still alive doesn't feel quite the same."

The words felt like a punch to the gut. Naruto couldn't even bear to face Sasuke anymore. He knew the words were spoken in spite, but they still hurt so bad. Yes, he had lived a shitty life, but he had really come to consider the people around him as family. His team, his teachers and his friends, he was grateful for each and every one of them. To have it thrown back in his face like this was sickening.

"No, you're right. Clearly, I am a bit ignorant on what a family is supposed to be. I would have to be for considering _you_ part of it."

With that, Naruto turned around and started walking away as fast as he could without running. His head was pumping, his cheeks were flushing, and the tears were stinging behind his eyes. He would die before he let that bastard see any of it.

* * *

><p>As Naruto ran of, a sense of dread and despair filled Sasuke. What was wrong with him! What was it with Naruto that made him lose his cool? Even when he knew what he ought to say, all the wrong things came out. Naruto's last comment felt like a slap in the face, and he felt so bad about the cruel things he had said that he wanted to cry.<p>

He didn't realise what he was doing before he heard himself shout - "wait!"

He ran after the blond boy, who didn't stop, but only started walking faster. With a short sprint he caught up to him though, and took a hold of his shoulder, which Naruto just shrugged of. He tried to grab his hand, but Naruto slapped it away and started running. Sasuke caught a glimpse of his face, and felt desperation wash over him as he realized that Naruto was crying.

He ran after the blond boy. When he caught up with him, he turned him around with force and slammed his back into a tree. He pinned the other boy to its trunk with both hands, to stop any attempt at escape. Naruto, writhing and squirming, screamed into his face with the tears still running. "Let me go, you fucking moron!" His face seemed wilder than usual, the blue of his eyes deeper, his teeth sharper, and the scars more accentuated. He could feel the incredible power of that foreign chakra building within the other boy, as if it would physically manifest.

Naruto was beautiful in his rage. Beautiful, terrifying and agonizing. Sasuke did the only thing he could think of. Or maybe he stopped thinking completely.

* * *

><p>Naruto's mind was completely incoherent. He was screaming vehemently at Sasuke, and was pretty sure he wanted to kill him, when suddenly the other boy leaned forward and covered his mouth in a hard and ruthless kiss. For a moment he kept resisting. For a moment, his body froze in panic.<p>

Then everything melted away. The only thing that existed was that mouth, that face, that body. Every part of their body touching burned, and they seemed connected by a fire, raging so powerfully it hurt. He was angrier than he had ever been, but his body did not seem to respond to his thoughts. He felt himself pushing up to Sasuke, and in return, the other boy ground him hard against the tree, almost lifting him of the ground. Pale hands moved from his arms to cover his face, then ran across his chest and shoulders, covering every available part of him.

Now that his own hands were free, he lifted them to touch the softness of the white, now flushed, cheeks of the other. He let them slide down the neckline, then into the hem of the dark shirt he was wearing. The skin was warm and smooth, and just so fucking perfect. From a sudden impulse - rage, passion, he didn't know - he dug his nails deep into that softness, and dragged them up across the shoulders, leaving deep gashes in his trail. Sasuke groaned deep into his mouth, then took a firm hold of his butt and hoisted him up, forcing Naruto to snake his legs around his hips. He was locked between Sasuke and the tree, and he could feel the rough surface digging into his back, but didn't care.

Sasuke broke free to breathe, but instead of returning to the lip lock, he leaned his head forward and started sucking hard on Naruto's neck. He hissed at the throbbing pain, and returned the favour by biting hard into Sasuke's ear. His head felt like it would explode, and he had no control of what was happening, but then he could feel Sasuke's hand stroking against his crotch. The sudden and intense feeling brought forward another hiss, but somehow broke the spell. With all the force he could muster, he knocked his head into Sasuke's, while at the same time pushing forward with his hands. Sasuke toppled backwards, leaving them both sprawled out on the ground. As Sasuke lay there groaning, Naruto got to his feet, and, though barely able to stand straight, ran of, leaving Sasuke to what he hoped was a lot of pain.

* * *

><p>Sasuke tried to lie as still as possible until the world stopped spinning. When he finally got up, he didn't know what ached worse; his forehead or his crotch. Unable to stand upright, he walked until he reached a large river. Without even taking his clothes of, he walked straight into the ice cold current, cherishing the soothing feeling on his battered body. Sadly, he had to conclude it did not have the same calming effect on his groin.<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6 of Nightly Encounters**

_Author's notes: I just realised a fatal mistake! Last chapter's encounter was... Not nightly! *le gasp* My story no longer deserves its name. It should be renamed Nightly (and some daily) encounters. But that would have been kind of long wouldn't it?_

_Oh, and I just realised that because this is updated weekly, it might be a bit difficult to remember the storyline from week to week. Should I include a recap at the start of each chapter? Just let me know, mkay? Reviews are love! (Even if they're hateful and flaming...)  
><em>

* * *

><p>Naruto was repeatedly hitting his head against a tree. He had just been through one of the most mindblowing experiences of his life - perhaps only beaten by the feeling of finally learning rasengan - and the only thing his body seemed capable of was pushing all his blood into his groin and crying his eyes out.<p>

"Goddamnfuckshitfuckinghellass!" He screamed loudly to no one in particular, as his head connected with the tree in a particularly painful way.

He had serious problems fathoming what he had just done with Sasuke, it was so surreal. It sounded just like something from one of Jiraya's perverted novels. Still, it had felt like the most natural thing in the world when it had happened.

Why had it happened? It had been Sasuke that initiated the kiss, he was sure of it. Why would Sasuke do that? Had he unconsciously provoked it into happening? Was that intensity, that fire, only in his mind, or had Sasuke felt it too? But if that was how he really felt, why hadn't he done or said something before? And why, when everything had felt so good and all he wanted in the whole wide world was to let Sasuke ease his hand past the waistband of his pants, had he run of?

He leaned his head back and sighed deeply, as his head swarmed with questions. As he glanced up at the sky, he realised it was quite late in the afternoon. The others would be worried if he didn't return soon. He drew a shuddering breath and went to find some water to clean himself up with. Sakura would be worried for sure if he came back to camp looking as haggard as he probably did. All the questions he couldn't find any answer to would just have to wait.

* * *

><p>What the fuck had just happened?<p>

Sasuke had never, ever, experienced anything that could compare to what Naruto had just made him feel. Maybe there was something wrong with him - Naruto was a guy for god's sake - but there was no denying it now, and quite honestly he just didn't care anymore. Him and Naruto had some crazy, apeshit kind of chemistry. Just reliving the memory in his mind made him want to go jump the guy, but somehow, he figured that would not go over so well with his intended victim.

He still didn't understand exactly what had driven him to act the way he had. It wasn't like him to be impulsive, to act without thinking or follow his emotions blindly. But at least all the strange feelings and dreams he'd been having the past weeks finally made sense, and that was a kind of comfort. He had been a fool for not understanding it sooner, as it was really quite simple; of course he couldn't stop thinking about Naruto - it was the natural hormonal response to having a sexual encounter with his physically perfect match. They were ideal partners when it came to sparring - transferring that to other physical activities actually made a lot of sense. Perhaps that was the reason why these things felt better with Naruto than with any _girl_ he had ever been with - they were just so evenly matched. He might not remember much of that night in the tent consciously, but his body certainly did. That was why he had been so off lately.

Of course, this epiphany did not remove the actual problem - him being just about ready to rape Naruto the next time he saw him - but he did see a temporary solution on the horizon. He would just have to make Naruto his. He was certain the other boy would have no objections. They were a great match, Naruto was not likely to get much action anywhere else, and he had seemed pretty compliant so far. He had some problems interpreting the knee-jerk reaction that had ended their last encounter, but that was probably just a speed bump. He had never been one to back down from a challenge. If this was what it took to satisfy his hormones, he would just have to do it. Until he found a wife worthy of continuing the Uchiha line, this sounded a lot better than being forced to make do with annoying and whiny girls like Sakura.

* * *

><p>"Hey, there you are Naruto." Sasuke said as he sauntered into the camp.<p>

Naruto sat up with a start as he heard the approaching voice of a certain pretty boy. He had been trying very hard to remove a particularly stubborn spot from his jacket - turns out orange wasn't the best color when you spent the entire day running around in the woods - and barely noticed Sasuke before he started talking.

"Oh, um, hi Sasuke. How are you?" He answered nervously, for once finding that words failed him. He wondered why Sasuke would conciously approach him after what had happened yesterday. Naruto himself was pretty mortified, and though Sasuke pretended to be cool in every situation, he knew him to get embarassed pretty easily.

"I'm okay. Where's Sakura and Kakashi?" Sasuke asked, looking around with a halfhearted gaze.

"They were going to report to the mining company on our progress. Why? Did you need them for something?" Naruto said, trying to make conversation, terrified of running out of things to say.

"Nothing much. I seemed to miss the summary meeting after our our area patrol yesterday. I was just curious as to whether the others found anything. _We_ didn't get anything useful done, so it would have been nice to hear that the others made some progress." Sasuke said with a shrug.

"Indeed." He answered with a nervous laugh, blushing slightly. Did Sasuke sound grumpy? He did feel a bit bad about running off like he had. "I hope I didn't hurt you too bad."

"Oh no, I was mostly just surprised. Things seemed to be going pretty well from my perspective, you know." Sasuke said lightly as he sat down next to him.

This was weird. Why was Sasuke acting so... Nice? Polite conversation wasn't exactly his forte. And he had imagined Sasuke would be a lot more - angry, perhaps. Why was he even bringing up this subject to begin with? This was exactly what he had wanted to avoid!

He glared suspiciously at Sasuke. "Yeah, but then I remembered what a bastard you are. Knocking you down just seemed like the natural response."

"Hn. Idiot."

Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. That was more like the Sasuke he knew. He still couldn't believe that they were actually talking so soon though. And actually talking about what had happened too. That was a complete change of pace. He didn't really know if he was comfortable with it or not, but at least it was nice to know that their friendship would survive. He didn't want to make the issue too much of a joking matter though. He really wanted to know what Sasuke was thinking. It would be kind of nice to actually have a serious conversation for once, instead of just dodging the important subjects. It would probably be incredibly awkward and embarrassing, but he would just have to suck it up.

"Do you want to get together again?"

Naruto barely noticed that Sasuke was talking, but when he did register the words, all he could do was stare with his mouth wide open.

"You don't have to try and look even stupider than usual, idiot. Your face does that well enough on its own." Sasuke said evenly, staring at him with an eyebrow raised.

The insult got him talking again, but only to the bare minimum.

"What the fuck, Sasuke?"

"You heard me. I don't think I'm the only one who liked what happened earlier, and I'd like to do it again. I don't see any reason why we shouldn't. We're both hormonal teenagers, and should have some kind of outlet. Though I can see why sex between friends are usually advised against, any issues deriving from that should already be a problem for us, from the last few times. There's nothing to lose in this, and everything to gain." He explained cooly.

Naruto didn't really know what to say to this. He felt that he should deny it vigorously, but Sasuke's assesment had been so through, he didn't really have any arguments.

"So... You actually like me then, you smug bastard?"

"Don't be confused. I'm not proposing a relationship beyond the one we have, or suggesting any feelings of the sort. I'm merely saying that the we, for some reason, have extremely good chemistry. As I am not usually one to settle for the next best thing, I would therefore like to make the most of a convenient situation. I am not gay, and would prefer that no rumour that I am start to circulate, so it would be necessary to keep this a secret, but I am sure you agree on that at least."

That actually made him angry. He didn't really know what kind of sexuality he had, but if he was gay, that was not something he would be embarrassed about. And if Sasuke actually had the nerve to assume that he would just bend over like one of his bitches, he had another thing coming.

"Did you work hard on making your speech sound that professional, or do you give the same one to all the girls you fuck around with? And did Sakura have any objections to being your bitch, or did you have to sweet talk her a bit more? Don't take me for some stupid bird you can just play with. Whatever happened between us before were purely one-time incidents. I can assure you that I will not be making that mistake again. I am not getting twisted into your sick games, mr. I'm-not-gay-but-I-still-can't-keep-my-hands-out-of-other-guys-pants."

For a second, Sasuke's face contorted into anger, and Naruto tensed, almost hoping he would hit him. He wanted nothing more than an excuse to bash that bastard's face in. Then the pale boy's angry frown smoothed into his usual pretty mask.

With a small smile playing at the edges of his lips, Sasuke leant forward, supporting his torso by placing a hand on Naruto's thigh. Sasuke breathed a heavy chuckle into Naruto's ear, making his whole body shudder involuntarily.

"That your answer? I hope you can stick to it though. We haven't had much luck keeping our hands off each other so far." He whispered in a barely audible voice.

Naruto was completely stunned. He couldn't move, couldn't think, and certainly couldn't answer.

Suddenly, Sasuke bit down on his earlobe. The sharp pain made him wince in surprise, and he quickly turned his head, just in time to glimpse Sasuke's sly grin.

"That one's for earlier." He said, rising and walking away quickly. Naruto simply stared after him.

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><p>As soon as he was out of sight, Sasuke let the smug mask slip. With all the force he could muster, he hit his fist against the nearest tree. The rough bark splintered at impact, splitting the skin across his knuckles. Getting into a fist fight with Naruto would ruin everything. It would delete all the tension that had built between them and put them right back to status quo. They had always worked out their problems like that. But Naruto just had an amazing gift when it came to getting on his nerves - a ability that only seemed to have grown stronger lately.<p>

He didn't like what Naruto had insinuated earlier. Actually, he didn't really like Naruto getting serious like this at all. What business did he have with the other girls he saw? It wasn't as if he was doing anything wrong. He didn't force himself on anyone and he always made sure that they knew exactly what they were getting themselves into. Hell, girls practically threw themselves at him. If anything, they were using him for their insane needs.

Sakura had never showed any sign that she wasn't thrilled about what they had. Of course, she had shown some doubts when it came to keeping everything secret, but that probably had more to do with Sakura being a very honest girl than any issues concerning self respect. They had come to the conclusion that it would be better for the team if they stayed unaware of these complicating factors, though. Of course, the second she got him into bed, she wanted more.

Sakura had definitely turned even more needy lately. That was the problem with girls; they were just too emotional. It was as if they lacked the ability to stick to an agreement. And somehow, they always ended up angry and crying when he refused to play the sweet boyfriend, even though he had never agreed to that.

Could he really be blamed for being the only one to keep exactly what he promise, though? Girls had called him many things before; cold, bastard, asshole, insensitive. All of which was really just bad reactions to his unwavering honesty. Sakura hadn't gotten quite there yet, but he did notice some of the signs. Perhaps it had been a bit stupid to get involved with a girl so close to home, especially considering how clingy she had always been, but he had just had enough. He would probably break it of soon, but he wasn't looking forward to all the crying and screaming. It always made him feel a twinge of guilt, even when there was no reason for him to feel bad. This time would be worse too, considering that he actually kind of cared about Sakura, as a team mate. Not to mention that he had kind of cheated on her.

He didn't really think he could be blamed for that first incident, considering he had been drunk out of his mind and never intended to get together with anyone but her. The second time... Well, it had been a spur-of-the-moment-thing, and they hadn't really gotten far enough for it to count. Besides, he'd never promised her that they were exclusive, and by the time he consciously chose to be with someone else, their relationship was pretty much over in his opinion.

He kind of wished that he could remember a bit more from that night in the tent with Naruto. Firstly because it probably was awesome, but also because it seemed like at least some of Naruto's resentment could be traced back to that night. Had he behaved inappropriately? Even though Naruto was loud and outspoken, he often kept the feelings that might leave him vulnerable to himself. They were easy to overlook when everything else about him was so loud, but that didn't make him any less sensitive than other people.

He really didn't want to hurt his old team mate, but if it came down to it, would his own interests or Naruto's feelings be more important? If Naruto turned him down, would he be able to accept that? He didn't know if he could live with all these frustrations if he didn't get some kind of satisfaction. How far would he go for the sake of his own fulfillment? He had forced that last kiss on Naruto, and though he really had little idea of how things went down that night in the tent, he could guess that he had been somewhat forceful, at least up until he realised he was in the wrong tent. He was lucky that Naruto had turned out willing so far, but what if that ended? He didn't know if he'd be able to control himself.

Naruto had to like him though, didn't he? Why else would he have agreed to everything so far? He didn't give the impression of being half as overcome by his hormones as him, but still seemed to enjoy it just as much. He wished he could understand what Naruto got out of being with him, but he was afraid to ask.

Sasuke dragged a hand across his face in exasperation. Naruto better be damn good in bed to be worth all this shit.

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><p><em>Author's notes: Yes, yes I know, Sasuke is just a a horribly ignorant and nasty person<em>._ But don't worry, Naruto will probably beat some sense into him. Or maybe he'll just let him rot... I'm not sure which one I root for after writing this. His confusion still gives me enjoyment though. Poor angsty Naruto, I mostly just feel bad for. He'll get his moments of badassery though, he's not one to be messed around with, after all.  
><em>


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7 of Encounters. All of the Time. Nonstop.**

_Author's notes: This chapter has been so freaking hard to write! Firstly, because my computer broke down, and basically everything that could go wrong did. Secondly, because I was forced to realise that I was not doing a good enough job of portraying the characters like I wanted to. I love all of you reviewers so much, because you make me question all the things about this story that I take for granted, and hopefully make the story that much better, but I must admit that at some points during the making of this chapter, I kind of hated some of you for being so insightful and clever. And here you have the result! A very Naruto-centric look into our characters, before we get on with the drama we all love. Needless to say, I am not too pleased with how this turned out, but I'm not going to fret anymore over it. I have papers to write, damnit!_

_Oh, and the title above is not permanent. __After my last AN, one of you suggested__ it, and it really cracked me up. T__his fic is now fondly nicknamed Constant Encounters... __Because that's what it is._

_ Drop a line telling me what you think after reading, because they really help me realise what needs to be done. Not to mention that they make me update faster, instead of doing what I should be doing... Oh, and I added this stupid little summary. There were split opinions considering whether I should add one at the beginning of every chapter, so I decided to make nobody pleased, by making it short and kind of stupid. You can probably guess who's point of view it's from..._

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><p><em>Thus far~<em>

_So here I was, sleeping like a babe inside my tent, when this smug bastard I've been crushing on suddenly shows up, drunk out of his mind, and proceeds to molest me. Afterwards he didn't want anything to do with me, and I figured that would be the end of it, but somehow we ended up making out up against a tree. Now he wants to get together, and I'm not really sure what I want._

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><p>Naruto was still sitting right where Sasuke had left him when Sakura and Kakashi returned from the village. They seemed pretty tired, and Kakashi immediately walked of, doing whatever it was he did on his own. He had been avoiding the rest of them as much as possible lately. No doubt he was getting pretty tired of just hanging around with them all day.<p>

Sakura just sat down, looking at Naruto with a deep frown. "Naruto, are you okay? You're not really looking like yourself recently."

"Course I am. Would be better if this jacket could just stay clean though." He said with a loopsided grin.

Sakura smiled tiredly, knowing full well that he was purposefully ignoring her serious tone. "Go with black then, you don't see Sasuke rubbing at stains all day."

"Maybe he doesn't clean his clothes at all." Naruto replied playfully.

Sakura merely snorted a tired laugh.

With a small smile, Naruto caved in. Sakura was clearly not in the mood for easy banter. "Is there something wrong? Still having problems with that bastard?" Hopefully she would forget that she was worried about him if he steered the conversation towards her problems instead.

"To be quite honest, yes. And I bet you're still having problems with him too, judging by how distraught you've been the last few days." Sakura answered bluntly. " I feel so appreciated! You won't tell me anything that bothers you, and Sasuke hasn't as much as said a word to me for days."

Though the choice of words was light, Sakura had a bitter twist to her tone, and Naruto instantly felt a pang of guilt in the depths of his gut. He couldn't talk to Sakura about his problems for obvious reasons, - he was terrified that she would find out about Sasuke and him. She already had problems with one of her teammates, and Naruto didn't want her to feel as if the other one had betrayed her as well. He couldn't just chicken out and avoid the subject either though. When Sakura was this direct, she clearly had a desperate need to talk to someone, and who else but him was there really? He couldn't picture Sakura going to Kakashi-sensei to discuss her love life.

"I just don't want to trouble you unnecessarily," Naruto answered with a worried frown, answering as truthfully as he could. "I guess I can't hide much from you, though. How could you tell?" If Sakura had so little trouble interpreting his mood, what else could she guess? He needed to know how much she had guessed from just looking at him.

"You're almost too easy to read, so it's not really much of a challenge. The only time you're ever like this is when you're having troubles with Sasuke. Difficulties and challenges just seem to excite you, and you usually wear your feelings on your sleeve. This distracted and melancholic Naruto, on the other hand, he only appears when there's something going on with someone he cares about. And to be honest, Sasuke's really the only one that ever does something to hurt you like that."

"Jeez, Sakura, you ought to be in the interrogations department or something. You're reading me like an open book." Naruto replied, actually meaning it. He couldn't help but notice the little jab towards the end either, and the sad truth of it. No one really affected him the way Sasuke did, for better or worse.

"Hardly. I can sense that you're keeping things from me, but not much else. I wish you wouldn't do that. As ninja, we lead lonely lifes, and there's not too many people we can share our true feelings with. It'll eat you up inside if you just keep things to yourself, you know."

Naruto felt torn. He really wanted to share his worries with Sakura, but he just couldn't. Even if they did not concern her so personally, he wouldn't have wanted to lay that burden on her. But it killed him to see her this sad, and even if he didn't want to plunge into his problems right now, they could still talk about her's. Not to mention, it would probably be a great help for him to actually learn a little about how Sasuke treated the people he were with.

"Somehow, I feel like we're not really talking about me anymore, are we?"

"I guess you could say that." She answered, averting her eyes. She was clearly not too comfortable talking about her emotions either. "It's just... All this stuff with Sasuke," she finally admitted. "I'm getting so fed up with him and and his mindgames, but at the same time, I can't help but care for him. I worry about him... He seems like such a perfect person, but I'm not quite sure anymore. I didn't even begin to see it before I got as close to him as I have recently, but there is just something not quite right about Sasuke. I haven't really put the feeling into words before, but it's like he's somehow lacking the emotional repertoaire of a normal person."

Naruto didn't really know what Sakura was trying to say. Sasuke must have messed her up even more badly than he had initially thought. "I know he's been acting like a jerk towards you, Sakura, but that's just how Sasuke is. He's cold, arrogant, proud and slightly mean, and hides behind a false appearance of perfection. But deep down he's our friend, and even though that person isn't always so easy to see, he's still there."

"How can you be sure? I mean, we've both always assumed he's hiding a decent person behind that cold exterior, but recently I've found myself questioning what we have always taken for granted. In all the time we've been together, I've never even gotten a glimpse of this supposedly good person he hides inside. Normal people follow their emotions, at least slightly. But it truly seems like everything is just a game to him. He finds a goal, and just follows it relentlessly, until he achieves it, no matter the cost." She answered, staring intently into his face. Clearly Sakura really meant this.

"Do you actually mean that, or are you just feeling hurt because he's not treating you right?" Naruto said, a worried frown creasing his face. "He might be acting like a total bastard a lot of the time, but this is Sasuke we're talking about. Our Sasuke! Sasuke, who has saved both our life's on multiple occasions, who has trained alongside us for all these years, going through everything we've gone through. Remember our very first serious mission, back in Wave Country? Sasuke wouldn't even admit to it, but he almost died trying to save my life back then. That has got to mean at least something."

Sakura sighed deeply. "If he does have feelings, I think he tries his best to bury them so deep he never has to face them, without even realising what he's doing. It's like he doesn't want to have emotions. All that matters to him is getting what he wants. This facade of his isn't just a shield - he has worked so hard at maintaining it for so long that the shield is who he has become. At least that's what I think."

She grasped his hand tightly, and held his gaze locked to her own. "I'm not trying to turn you against Sasuke, or anything like that. I'm just getting so sick of having all these secrets and issues pent up inside. And I really think this is something you ought to know. You never give up hope in anyone, but I don't want you to get hurt trying to save Sasuke, when he's not making any effort himself. He might be incapable of becoming who you want him to be."

"Sasuke is our friend. We should always try to save him, no matter what." Naruto answered, unwilling to accept the harsh judgement Sakura was giving their friend, but wanting to show her that he was listening to what she said.

Sakura let go of his hand with a sigh. As she got to her feet and turned to walk away, she cast one last look at the blond. "But what if he doesn't want to be saved? What if he's perfectly content to be this horrible, cruel bastard? Honestly, have you seen any sign he wants to change?"

Naruto had to think a bit about that one. It scared him to admit to it, but she did have a point. The side of Sasuke he had gotten to know recently was just like she described. And he really did not seem to have any wish or interest in redeeming himself. But it wasn't in Naruto's nature to give up on someone he cared about. He had to believe that Sasuke was a good person, deep inside.

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><p>Naruto was lying awake in the darkness of his tent, unable to sleep, his mind pondering Sasuke's question. Could he agree on this cynical and cold thing Sasuke was proposing? Did he want to? Part of him wanted to just say yes, but he couldn't get his discussion with Sakura out of his head. Even if she was completely wrong, Sasuke had clearly made her this bitter towards him.<p>

His body screamed for more of what he had just gotten the taste of earlier, but he had to protect himself here. Sasuke was dangerous. Dangerously beautiful and dangerously cold. He was only starting to learn just what kind of person Sasuke really was, and instinctively knew that this was the one aspect where the dark haired boy could not be trusted. Sakura had made that mistake, and look where it got here. He was already a bit too lost in Sasuke. If he didn't take care of himself, he would get too wrapped up in the other boy, and end up as a complete mess when Sasuke finally got tired of him.

They were both equally responsible for what had happened so far, but that didn't mean they risked the same. Both times he had gotten involved with Sasuke, it had left him hurt, vulnerable and weak, while Sasuke seemed to be doing better than ever. Their relationship was already out of balance, and who was to say this imbalance wouldn't get worse in time? He was the one who had been crushing on the other for years, and the only one to actually admit to his tendencies towards homosexuality, which should make him more mentally prepared for a gay relationship. But somehow, he seemed like the one being taken advantage of.

Yet he was past the point where he could ignore his feelings for the pale and dark-haired boy. He didn't really have much to compare with, but he couldn't deny the raw chemistry they shared, and he still wanted him, badly.

He didn't want to keep getting hurt like this, but did it really have to be like that? Who said Sasuke had to be the only one to take charge? He did not have to fear rejection, as Sasuke's had made his feelings pretty clear earlier, and shyness had never really been his forte. He did feel more for Sasuke than Sasuke felt for him, but if he kept that in mind at all times, and hid it from the other boy, there was really no reason for this situation to not turn out for everyone's best. Here was a dreamlike situation for him to live out all his fantasies, satisfying his much ignored hormones, and getting experience for later. When he finally found someone to share his life with, that would be great, but why not enjoy this opportunity while he could?

To his own surprise, Naruto found himself actually considering Sasuke's cocky offer. Even if he did refuse, he could not guarantee that his body would not give in at a later point. He had seen again and again how easily his body would betray him, and if they were going to keep clashing together in these random encounters, it would at least be better to have a clear definition of what they had.

Naruto sighed loudly. There was really only one answer he could give Sasuke, wasn't there? But he would have another thing coming if he expected Naruto to be just like any other girl. He would make it clear to Sasuke from the very beginning that he could be as demanding and bossy as he. There was no way he would become the underdog in this affair.

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><p><em>Author's notes: Every review feels like my birthday and christmas combined! If you give me lots, I'll try not to hate this fic as much in the next chapter.<em>


	8. Chapter 8

**_Chapter 8 of Nightly Encounters_**

_Author's notes: so where we last left our boys, one was pretty messed up, and one was making up his mind. I'm so happy that I got over last chapter's speed bump, and some of you actually said you really liked it! This chapter basically just wrote itself, and that's a wonderful feeling. There will probably be several more difficult chapters before this ends, but it's good to know that I can get over those parts. As to why this came so late, it's because I've had one of the craziest week in my life. Ive basically spent the day studying, and the night working. So I'm just gonna go faint now, thank you._

_Review if you want to wake me from my coma!_

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><p>Sasuke was sitting by himself by the edge of the forest, just out of reach from the firelight. He was on guard duty that night, and quickly discovering that moping around in the dark was not the best way to get away from his thoughts. A single question that he had been forced to ask himself kept circling his mind; "what if Naruto said no?" He could hardly believe himself capable of harbouring these kinds of doubts. After all, he was never rejected by anyone. But still, he knew that in this instant, he just couldn't be sure. And for some reason, he actually cared.<p>

Suddenly, he heard a noise. He rose quickly. It was probably just some animal, but letting his guard down was always stupid, no matter how low the threat level was. He stood very still, listening for any more noise. His head whipped to the side - there it was again! Lower this time though. If this really was an animal, it was a very sneaky one. He probed the air carefully. No foreign chakra, just the familiar three. The strange thing was that the sound seemed to come _from_their camp, not the other direction. Maybe it just was an animal, Sasuke thought to himself, before slowly relaxing his pose and sitting back down.

Moments later, he could hear something again, this time even closer. He threw himself around to meet the threat, but before he had the chance to do anything, he could feel a hand clamping down on his mouth, and he was thrown to the ground by the force of a body hitting him. For a moment, they tumbled around on the ground, until Sasuke finally gained the upperhand and pinned the other ninja below him. He snatched a kunai from his pouch, and lifted it above him to incapacitate his opponent before the tables turned.

Just as he was about to strike, he caught a glint of his opponent's teeth, bared in a feral smirk. The shock threw him of just long enough for his opponent to push forward with his legs, kicking free from the lock they were in, and straddle Sasuke. He pushed the kunai out of his grasp, and grabbed a hold of both his hands, holding them firmly above his head in a deadlock.

"Missed me?" he could hear a voice chuckle into his ear.

His jaw went completely slack. "Naruto..?" He could hear himself utter, hardly believing it.

That laughter again, tickling his ear with warm air. It didn't sound like Naruto. Naruto's laughter was loud, boisterous, and annoying, forcing others to join in. It definitely did not send jolts down his spine, nor did it make him shudder like he did now.

"Did you think that some big, bad ninja was coming to get you? Poor Sasuke-kun... Now shut the fuck up."

Slowly, Naruto's hand trailed down the front of his shirt, before it came to rest just at the hem. As the warm hand ducked beneath the fabric, touching the cold skin beneath, Sasuke could not hold back a gasp, hating himself for it all the while. The hand went up his chest slowly, leaving warm trails in it's wake. As it lightly brushed past his nipple, a jolt went through his whole body.

When Naruto's hand reached his neck, he simply gathered the fabric in his hand, and dragged it over Sasuke's head. It slipped past his shoulders easily, and pooled around his hands, but instead of just removing the shirt, Naruto tightened it roughly. He couldn't see exactly what the other boy was doing, but soon enough Naruto sat back down, and Sasuke realised to his horror that he was stuck. Naruto had tied up his hands with his own shirt.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" He whispered angrily, terrified by the thought of Kakashi, or even Sakura for that sake, waking up. They were barely at the edge of camp, for god's sake! Not even out of view, if you had good night vision. Anyone could see them.

"I thought I told you to shut up. Stop being such a wuss, I don't want you squirming all over the place." Naruto answered, the laughter in his voice barely audible, but enough to make Sasuke furious. How dared Naruto do this to him? He was a freaking Uchiha!

Naruto, once again covering Sasuke's mouth with his hand, smirked down at him, before his face disappeared from view. As Sasuke felt another hand fumbling with the waistband of his shorts, his embarrassment rose to a whole new level. And then he forgot what it was he wanted to complain about in the first place.

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><p>He licked his lips quickly, feeling the saltness there, and smirking slightly. He didn't really enjoy the taste much, but he was putting on a show right now, and the view Sasuke was providing, panting and vulnerable, with his hands stuck above his head, gave it a sweet aftertaste.<p>

Naruto seriously considered leaving Sasuke right there with his pants down. But then again, he simply wanted to prove a point, not make the other boy hate him. So when Sasuke had finished, he dragged his pants back up, and straightened him out as much as possible. He left the shirt as it was though. Sasuke might be slightly groggy right now, but he was not sure what he would do if he was freed quite yet. He was sure he could break free quite easily, if he just got a moment to figure out the knot.

It was a bit hard to turn away. Sasuke's pale and smooth abdomen looked almost blue in the moonlight, and the way it rose and sunk with each breath was hypnotizing to watch. His face looked furious, but there was still a slight glaze in his eyes, and the light touch of pink in his cheeks made him look oh so tasty.

As he walked away, feeling Sasuke glare daggers at his back, he finally let out the laughter that had been threatening to spill out from the moment he had gotten a look at Sasuke's enraged expression.

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><p>It had taken Sasuke an hour to break free. A whole hour, desperately struggling against the knot, constantly listening for the sound of someone waking up. Needless to say, he was angry. Very angry.<br>As soon as he was free, he marched towards Naruto's tent, resolute intention in his every stop. Pictures of Naruto suffering various horrible deaths at his hands flashed through his mind. The way they intertwined with memories of Naruto moaning, Naruto writhing beneath him, Naruto chuckling in his ear, Naruto's head bobbing up and down between his legs... It was all he could do to stop himself from just trashing the whole camp with his chidori. He was a god damn motherfucking Uchiha, and he did not get played, used, or in any way succumb to anyone. Especially not by obnoxious blond brats whom he had so graciously offered to bestow his favours on voluntarily.

As he reached his intended goal, he had to stop himself from not violently trampling the whole tent to pieces, hopefully crushing its inhabitants in the process. This operation required stealth, discretion, and most of all, an open space preferably far away from the rest of their team, so no one could hear that imbecile scream.

He drew a deep breath, before throwing the tent flap open, and finding an empty bed. For a moment he simply stood there, his body shaking in barely suppressed rage. This was an unexpected twist.

"Finding anything interesting in there?"

Sasuke had to fight the urge to jump in surprise at the sudden voice right behind him. This was the second time that urchin had sauntered right up to him without him even noticing. This additional humiliation did not exactly soothe his wounded pride.

Quickly, he spun around, staring foully at the blond boy. "Why are you awake?" He said in a voice that should have frozen Naruto solid.

"Did you seriously think that I would go back to sleep after I left you there? I might enjoy the occasional foolhardy impulse, but I'm not harbouring a death wish. I'm no idiot." He said with laughter in his voice, while snacking lightly on a biscuit.

"That would definitely be a matter of view." Sasuke answered coolly, before gripping Naruto's arm firmly, and dragging him off. Though the blond did initally protest, he was silenced by a glare from Sasuke. If he got any more severe now, he would probably start shooting lightning bolts out of his eyes.

They walked briskly and in silence for several minutes, Naruto stumbling along after Sasuke. When they were finally in a satisfactory distance from the others, Sasuke turned around to face the blond boy. The movement was so sudden, Naruto bumped into him before he realised they had stopped walking. With a rought movement, Sasuke pushed the other boy off him.

"I initally had every intention of crushing every bone in your body, but as we walked I have come to the conclusion that the others might take your untimely death the wrong way. I considered fucking you so hard you begged for mercy, but I think you would find too much satisfaction in that for it to really be an appropriate punishment. Beating the living shit out of you won't be half as satisfying, but it will have to do. I warn you to stay as still as possible though. You don't want to give me any excuses to really fuck you up." Sasuke sneered out between gritted teeth.

Naruto chuckled, leaning closer. "Oh, you can try Sasuke, but we'll just have to see who ends up fucking who, won't we?"

Sasuke threw the first punch without any kind of warning, but found his fist swinging through thin air. In a flash, he noticed the other boy's foot aimed at his face from below, but he spun backwards before it had a chance to hit home. Usually, he would try to keep his distance, using chakra-based moves and weapons, but he was angry beyond that now. He was angry in a way he should never be during battle. Mad like only Naruto could drive him to become.

Without even thinking, he flew back at his opponent, raining kicks and punches at him, barely defending himself, but not even noticing the cuts and bruises he received. Blood was pumping through his head, and he felt wild, alive and furious.

Suddenly, Naruto caught his fist in his hand, holding it firmly so that Sasuke had no chance of using it. Sasuke lashed out with the other, but it merely cracked against the palm of Naruto's free hand.

"Stop it, Sasuke!"

With a growl, he tried to break free, but then he noticed the distant look in Naruto's eyes.

"Can't you hear?" The blond boy murmured in a distracted tone.

Both boys stood very still for a moment, panting, dripping sweat and blood, their hands intertwined. It was the smell that reached Sasuke first. The thick, itchy smell of something burning. As the pulsing sound of his own heart receded, he also began to notice the sounds Naruto had heard. Clanking sounds of metal hitting metal, deep rumbling and the low but unmistakable sound of people screaming. His head whipped around, and he noticed a red hue on the horizon.

"The mines." Both boys gasped in unison.

"We have to wake the others." Naruto said.

Sasuke really wanted to run straight for the mining village, but if the attackers were in fact a whole group of rouges, it would be foolish to run of on his own. He could probably take them on alone, but he could not protect villagers and stoke a raging fire at the same time.

Like one, they turned towards their camp, and ran as fast as they could. Naruto shouted for the others as soon as the tents were within view, and by the time they reached them, both Sakura and Kakashi had clambered out of their tents. They were both alert, showing few signs of having been asleep mere seconds ago. Like all ninja, they learned to sleep lightly, and think quickly even when they were still battling the grasp of sleep. Sakura was only half dressed in her undershirt and skirt, but she still wore her shuriken-pouch and kunai-holder. Kakashi looked more awake than he usually did, a serious frown shadowing his one visible eye.

It only took them seconds to explain what they had heard, and within minutes, the whole team was headed towards the fire who painted the horizon red.

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><p><em>Author's notes: sorry 'bout the cliffhanger. I was guessing you'd rather have this chapter now, than wait for days while I finished the next scene.<em>


	9. Chapter 9

**_Chapter 9 of Nightly Encounters_**

_Author's notes: Long overdue, here is finally chapter 9! I've been seriously overworked lately, so I was forced to stay away from fanfiction for a while. Not to mention that I found a really great fic which put me in a funk because I can never be that great... (*coughcough*) This chapter felt a bit rushed to me, and I would have loved to tweak at it a lot more, but it's November, if you haven't noticed, and that's NANOWRIMO-time! So if I manage to be a good girl, I'll be going on a one-month break after this chapter. (I am so sorry! *crycry*) The good news is that come december, I should have the time to actually enjoy writing again, which should improve both the quality and quantity of my work remarkably. (Christmas miracles do happen, don't they?)_

_Oh, and if by some miracle we get to fifty reviews by the time I'm back, I'm squeezing you a big and sweet lemon! ... I might write one anyway, but I really want to get to fifty reviews so pleeeaase! *bedazzled by my own ego*_

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><p>They stopped just at the forest thinned out. Hidden from view by the greenery, they could see everything that was happening, without being noticed. The usually calm and sweet little village at the foot of the mountain was transformed by the darkness. A fire was blaring from one of the buildings, and spreading quickly. Villagers - women, children and a few men, were circling around it, desperately trying to soothe the flames licking up the neighbouring buildings. Farther away, they could see the shadows of people fighting among the houses, the flames glinting of blades of different sizes and shapes. The main body of miners and men from the village were standing in a protective half circle by the black mouth in the mountainside that led down into the silvermines.<p>

"Alright, we need to make a plan. I suggest we concentrate our force on helping those miners protect their silver. That is our main mission after all, and it is probably the target they will attack with the most force." Kakashi said in a efficient and professional tone. The others nodded in agreement, except for Naruto, who's eyes kept sliding towards the scene of battle, wincing every time he heard someone cry out, be it in fear or anger.

"Those villagers need our help too! We need to protect them! There's women and children among them!" Naruto shouted.

"For once, Naruto, think with your brain, not your feelings." Kakashi reprimanded coldly. "Their main target is the silver. Those villagers are in no real danger as long as they stay out of our way, and the faster we can ward of the enemy, the faster they will be safe."

Naruto tried to listen, but Sasuke could see that his attention was mainly with the people under attack. He really wanted to give Naruto a slap and ask him to pay attention. The faster they agreed on a plan of action, the faster they could solve this. But he knew better than to start an argument at such a critical moment. It was hard enough to concentrate with all the sounds of battle just a few paces away. A woman was screaming in a high pitched wail, the fire crackled and rumbled, and steel clashed against steel again and again. Sasuke almost wanted to slap his hands over his ears, the sounds were so distracting, but Kakashi was just finishing up his battle plan, and then they could leap into action.

"Naruto. Don't." Kakashi said in a low warning tone.

Sasuke looked up, noticing Naruto's tense pose, and the way his eyes was staring intently at the woman who screamed so loudly. Kakashi's hand was clasped around his wrist, as if to restrain him.

"Screw that! Can't you hear she needs our help?" Naruto screamed, before throwing himself forward and running full speed towards burning village.

Sasuke cursed to himself, before taking of after the blond. This was just like Naruto! He would probably make things twice as difficult by not doing anything they agreed upon, and causing half as much damage as he helped. What if he hurt himself, fighting a huge group of thugs in the middle of a fire!

Entering the mining village was like stepping into hell itself. The heat was excruciating, the smoke tearing at his lungs, and burning in his eyes. Sasuke shut of his brain, and forced himself to enter the cool calm he felt while battling. No feelings, merely strategy and logic. Only thinking of his next move, while trying to stay ahead of the enemy. Although Naruto had been right in front of him just seconds ago, he was nowhere to bee seen right now. With a curse, he ran deeper into the carnage. The black smoke grew thicker, laying like fog between the closely nestled buildings. His sharingan gave him some help in the darkness, but not nearly enough.

Suddenly, he found himself in the center of the chaos. The heat reached new levels, scorching so hotly it felt like it would melt the skin right of his bones. The buildings around him were falling apart, some already reduced to rubble and black shells. Everywhere, there was people screaming. Sasuke felt the darkness closing in on him. This wasn't how a battle was supposed to be. This wasn't him against some seemingly impossible foe, while everyone else watched on the sidelines. This was pure chaos. Death stricking without purpose, enemies who slew without reason or plan, women, children and civilians fighting for the pieces that were left of their lives.

"Sasuke!" A familiar voice shouted in a harsh growl.

Sasuke looked up, and his dark eyes found impossibly blue ones, staring roughly at him. At the sight of the blond boy, Sasuke snapped out of it. He noticed that Naruto was holding a small child in his arms, covered in soot and whimpering slightly.

"We have to get these people away. Help me!" Naruto shouted to be heard.

Sasuke merely nodded and jumped into action. Without even thinking, he found himself digging through rubble and tearing down walls to find a safe passage for the civilians. At one point he came across a pair of rough looking men armed with axes, busy looting a house. He was more careful after that.

Somewhere along, it started to rain. First a light drizzle, then it turned into a outright downpour. The wetness soothed the flames, and what remained quickly went out as the burning buildings collapsed. Sasuke couldn't say what had happened to Sakura and Kakashi, but he assumed they had gone to defend the silver with the rest of the miners, as he could still feel their chakra flaring wildly.

Having finished checking through the damaged buildings for any lingering civilians, Sasuke tried to locate Naruto. He finally found him somewhere on the outskirts of the center of the fire, in a small town square. He was repeatedly kicking huge man lying on the ground, covered in mud and blood. From the looks of him, the thug was at the very least unconscious, and not much of a threat, considering his weapon lay broken several feet away. Naruto didn't seem to notice any of it though, and just kept kicking the man viciously.

"Naruto!" He called out, feeling uncomfortable by the unnecessary show of violence. "Naruto, stop that! He's already down."

As he reached his teammate, he lay a hand on the other boy's shoulder, twisting him around. "This isn't like you, what's-"

He stopped short when he noticed Naruto's face. It was twisted into a animalistic mask of anger, looking more feral than human, and as beautiful as it was scary.

"Let go! I'm not finished!" He growled, pushing away from Sasuke's grasp, but Sasuke merely held on tighter, forcing the other boy to face him. Naruto struggled against him, but it was a feeble attempt at the best, and Sasuke could see the anger evaporating, leaving only a deep frown.

"He... That monster... That thing... He was... The poor girl..." Naruto rasped out, while glancing sideways.

Sasuke followed the direction of his eyes, and understanding finally dawned on him. Slumped up against a wall was a girl, probably a few years younger than them. She lay very still, and he would have believed her to be fainted, or worse, if it wasn't for the way her fists held onto the torn remnants of her dress. She was desperately trying to keep the two parts together, her knuckles whitening from the effort of it. But it did a poor job of hiding her. Sasuke could feel his own anger flaring at the bloodstains that covered the visible parts of her upper thighs.

"He didn't even notice me when I found them... She saw me first. She had stopped screaming by then, her eyes just staring blindly at me..." Naruto said, the mask finally crumbling, leaving in it's place an infinite sadness, as his whole body started trembling.

Sasuke pushed the other boy into his chest, wrapping his arms firmly around him. At first, Naruto struggled, but then he slumped against him, all power drained from his limbs. He started shaking, and soon his whole body was reverberating from the force of his sobs. Sasuke felt the power draining from his own body, as he battled the confusing feelings of protectiveness and sadness that threatened to overcome him. For some reason, this weak Naruto leaning against his chest was more than he could bear. His body was acting on its own by now, his concious mind tucked away somewhere deep inside him. Ugly feelings were clawing away at his insides, and for once, Sasuke found it hard to fight it. He was disgusted by his own weakness, but for once, his feelings took control of him, and he simply followed them blindly. As he looked down at Naruto, a fierce feeling he could not quite place burned it's way up his throat, and he just acted, leaving thinking for later.

He grasped Naruto's hand and tugged at it, indicating that the other boy follow. Naruto refused though, just staring at the poor girl. Sasuke tried to drag him of with force, but when the task proved difficult, he sighed in resignation, picked up the girl, who was so catatonic she hardly resisted, and ran back towards the wreckage, locating Sakura and Kakashi quickly enough. They looked tired and bloody, but unhurt, and Sasuke found himself explaining numbly about Naruto interferring in the rape and seemingly suffering the after-effects of shock or exhaustion as he lay the girl on the ground in front of them. Sakura immediately wanted to have a look at him, but he denied her, saying that he didn't seem seriously hurt, and that there were people here who needed her more. Somehow, he knew Naruto would just be more upset if Sakura wasted time on him when there were people hurting here in the village. Another, more animalistic voice in the back of his mind almost growled at her for trying to interfere.

As Sakura tended to the girl, Kakashi ordered Sasuke to take Naruto back to their camp, and come back to help them clean up the worst of the chaos if he could. Sasuke just nodded and ran back to the blond boy, who stood rooted to the same spot where he had left him. A cold claw was clenching around his insides. Naruto wasn't supposed to be like this.

Sasuke led him through the carnage, and Naruto just followed limply, his eyes empty. As they were leaving the village, he started struggling though, murmuring something about Sakura-chan and having to help the others. Sasuke tried to explain to him, but the boy would not listen, and in the end, Sasuke just growled and tossed the smaller blond over one shoulder. He didn't really put up a struggle, which only tightened the claw.

He helped the other boy out of his wet cloth and into bed, but Naruto didn't go to sleep. He just lay there shivering with his eyes wide open. Sasuke stared at him for a while, but eventually just sighed in defeat and lay down next to the blond, warming him up as best as he could while rubbing his arm in soothing motions. He remembered his mom doing that sometimes when he was little. Somewhere in the distant corners of his mind, a small voice was berating him on the sheer idiocy of what he was doing, but somehow, he just didn't care. He didn't know if he could have left Naruto like this even if he wanted.

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><p>Naruto woke up with a start, sitting up as his foggy mind tried to wrestle free from the nightmare. It was dark outside, and Naruto gathered that it had to be very early in the morning, or late night. Suddenly, he realised that there was a figure breathing beside him. He stared in confusion for a moment, before everything came back to him.<p>

After he had broken down in Sasuke's arms, the taller boy had silently led him from the village and helped him out of his wet clothes and into his tent. Naruto hadn't even realised how tired he was, and though he wanted to help the out at the village, his body simply wouldn't cooperate. He had laid down, desperately tired, but finding that sleep was impossible. Terrible pictures kept flashing before him every time he closed his eyes, and his teeth wouldn't stop clattering, he felt so cold. Finally, Sasuke had laid down next to him with a sigh, but a surprisingly gentle expression in his usually cold, dark eyes. He had been hesitant to lie next to Sasuke so casually - somehow, this felt too intimate - but soon succumbed to the warmth and safety and fell asleep.

The other boy was sleeping deeply now, and Naruto couldn't help but snort at the slight frown that marred his otherwise relaxed features. Even in sleep, Sasuke was glaring, and probably dreaming bastard dreams too. He was a bit cute though, Naruto admitted to himself, biting his lip at the realisation of how ridiculous that thought was.

Naruto lay down again, but had trouble going back to sleep. As embarrasing as it was to admit it, even to himself, he was afraid of more nightmares. Not that being awake was much better, his head still resounded with the screams, and his mind was haunted by the smell of burning flesh, the slick blood on his hand, and the sight of so much misery, but at least he could keep the memories at bay when he was conscious. It confused him that these horrors would leave such a lasting expression. After all, he was no stranger to misery and sad stories, and being a ninja, gore and carnage came with the job. Somehow, the sight of that girl being raped had rammed it's way past his walls though, and left a hole in its wake that let everything else flood in unhindered. Not just memories from last night either, but all kinds of memories. Even Haku's face, as the light left his eyes, and his life seeped through the hole in his chest, flashed through his mind at some point. He had almost believed the memory of that first mission to be forgotten. With deep breaths, he forced the memories to the back of his mind, and concentrated on watching Sasuke sleep.

As the darkness slowly receded, and colour returned to the world, Sasuke's frown deepened, and he stirred slightly. Without ever making a sound, his eyes suddenly glimpsed open. Naruto was slightly startled, and suddenly very aware of how close they were, lying face to face in a small tent like this. Sasuke's gaze was smoldering and slightly disorientated, and Naruto couldn't help but blush.  
>"Go back to sleep," Sasuke murmured in a low and husky voice, still laced by sleep.<br>"I can't," Naruto said with a small grin, hoping to hide some of the agony behind his simple statement.

Sasuke closed his eyes, and Naruto thought he had fallen asleep again, but then Sasuke's hand pushed slightly at him, and he told Naruto to turn over in a barely audible and drowsy voice. As odd as the request sounded, Naruto did as he was told, suspecting that Sasuke just didn't want to smell his stinky breath any more. Then he felt a pale arm snaking it's way across his waist, and Sasuke pushed up behind him. Naruto's eyes widened, and he almost slid away from the sudden intimacy, but Sasuke was so warm, and his hand was rubbing his stomach with soothing motions. Naruto couldn't help but feel a bit like a baby, but closed his eyes all the same, and soon went back to sleep.

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><p><em>Author's notes: I know that a lot of you will probably tell me how ooc Sasuke is right now, but he really isn't! As always, our favourite grumpyhead is way behind on his own emotional spectrum, but I find that somehow Sasuke tends to do crazy shit (meaning, actually nice things), when Naruto's hurt. Remember Haku, huh, huh? (Some of you might be able to tell that I really love the Country of mist-arc). I'm jumping ahead of you here, but last chapter someone gave me a big flamer about how ooc I was making everyone without even finishing chapter one, and that hurt! Of course, I'd love it if any of you actually gave me something useful to work on, but seriously? Judging all my characters based on one sex-scene? :I<em>


	10. Chapter 10

**_Chapter ten of Nightly Encounters_**

_AN: I wasn't going to publish anything until Desember but... I felt kinda bad, so here it is! I was very touched by how many of you who gave supportive reviews after my stupid rant last time. You guys are the best, and this one is for you! This fic has gotten more than 10.000 views now, and I'm really amazed by how much support it has recieved. This chapter marks the halfway point in this story. A whole lot more drama up ahead, I'm afraid. It's a bit hard right now, because I know where I want to go with this, I just don't really know how to get there. If you got any input, don't hesitate to throw it my way! Oh, and I've totally found this fic's soundtrack, but I'm not sure about sharing, because it miiight mean spoilers for some (I guess you would have to be pretty oblivious to not guess in which mainstream direction this is going though.)_

_Mood music - "Rolling in the deep" by Adele_

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><p>Naruto had no more nightmares that night. When he did wake up, the reason was a lot more mundane - the desperate need to relieve himself. Doing something about it proved more difficult than he would have suspected though. Sasuke was still lying somewhat slumped over him, and he really didn't want to wake him up. At least not until he had gotten a certain problem under control. Arousals were fairly common in the morning, as far as he knew. The pale boy currently snuggled up to him had nothing to do with it. That didn't mean he wanted to alert Sasuke to the fact, though.<p>

His squirming eventually solved the problem for him, albeit not quite in the way he would have wanted it. Just as he was trying to pull away, Sasuke's grip tightened, and Naruto's eyes widened slightly as he felt a bulge pressing up against him from behind.

"You know I can feel that, right Sasuke?" He said in a carefully neutral tone.

"Take it as a compliment," Sasuke murmured in reply. Even though he still sounded half asleep, he managed to make it come of as smug.

Naruto merely rolled his eyes in reply. With a bit of struggling, Naruto twisted around until he lay face to face with Sasuke. As he suspected, the other boy was not a morning person, and only glimpsed at him through half lidded eyes.

Naruto bit his lip hesistantly, wondering whether he dared to say it. He wouldn't find a better time than this though. Hopefully, Sasuke wouldn't even remember it by the time he was really awake.

"Sasuke... I just wanted to say thank you. Thank you for... This, I guess."

Sasuke's only reply was some kind of harrumphing-sound as he disappeared under the blanket.

"Hey, take this seriously, will you. I really mean it. You see me Sasuke. It might not mean much to you, but I feel happy knowing I have a friend like you."

It wasn't exactly what he wanted to say. He wanted to tell Sasuke that he was a better man than he thought he was. He wanted to tell him how important he was to him, and how happy it made him to know that Sasuke saw him. Not just the annoying kid who surprised everyone by beating the odds, nor the happy-go-lucky to a fault person his friends saw him as, but the scared little boy inside of all that. The knowledge that Sasuke knew him well enough to notice when something was very wrong - it made his heart flutter and his eyes burn. The fact that he instinctively knew just what he should do to soothe him made his throat thicken, and his stomach twist with warm feelings. But the simple version would have to do for now. He didn't know how to put the feelings rushing through him to words, and didn't know if he had the courage to lay himself bare like that either.

Sasuke just looked at him with a serious expression, and nodded slightly when he finished. Naruto felt like he understood his point. Sasuke's black orbs were mesmerizing when they were like this. Without a hint of mocking or anger, just pure sincerity. It felt like he stared straight into his core. Naruto shuddered involuntarily, hypnotized by Sasuke's dark gaze. The distance between them seemed loaded with electricity, and Naruto could feel a sweet ache in the pit of his stomach. When Sasuke's knee brushed past his thigh, his whole body jolted. With out ever breaking eyecontact, Sasuke let his hand slide up up Naruto's arm and across his shoulder, until it rested against his cheek. Agonizingly slow, Sasuke leaned forward while pulling slightly on Naruto's chin. The moment their lips touched, Naruto's eyes fluttered shut. They took their time, brushing their lips against each other. Warm embers burned deep in Naruto's bones at Sasuke's touch. When Sasuke brushed his teeth against his lower lip, Naruto couldn't help the sigh that escaped him. He made up for it by biting gingerly into Sasuke's soft lip and sucking carefully. A growl erupted from the depths of Sasuke's throat, and the embers burst into bright flame.

Naruto was thrown back agaist the covers as Sasuke rolled on top of him, smashing their bodies together painfully but oh so sweet. Groaning deep, Naruto thrust up against him. Every touch fed the flames licking at his bones, but he needed more, so much more. He wanted to feel Sasuke's skin against his, but taking the time to remove their clothes seemed unbearable. Impatient, he started tugging at Sasuke's shirt, nearly ripping it off his body.

When Sasuke pulled away, he couldn't help but shiver at the sudden cold absence, and bared his teeth at the other boy, something resembling a growl emanating from his throat.

"Naruto," Sasuke panted, holding both his arms down to keep him from moving. "Are you sure? I mean, is this okay?"

Hearing Sasuke's words, Naruto stopped short, his eyes widening. Sasuke was asking his permission... Even when his body was so clearly willing, he was worried that Naruto might not want this? That he was taking advantage of him? His expression softened, and he could feel something tugging at his chest, snapping his breath away, but still feeling so good.

"I am sure, this is what I want. You would think that was pretty obvious." He chuckled softly, shrugging of the other boy's grip and holding Sasuke's face in both his hands.

"Hn. Then I guess this means you accept, doesn't it?" Sasuke said.

Naruto could feel his grin falter slightly. "Yeah. I guess it does." He answered. To Naruto's shock, Sasuke smiled sweetly at him. It was just a tug at the corner of his lips, but it was beautiful.

Grabbing a hold of Sasuke's silky black bangs with both his hands, Naruto forced Sasuke's head down again. The need to kiss those perfect lips was just irresistible. After a moment, they both broke apart to breath, and Naruto pushed Sasuke into a sitting position. The other boy immediately tugged of his shirt, as did Naruto. At the sight of that perfect whiteness, Naruto lost all pretence of control, and threw himself at Sasuke, touching as much of his body as he could reach. Sasuke's skin was velvety and flawless, with hard muscle just beneath the surface, and warm blood giving it a soft flushed tone. They struggled with their pants without moving apart, and when all the offending clothing was off, they tumbled around in a struggle for control. Being naked together felt new and strange, but so right. They bit, touched, sucked and kissed at each other, before finally ending up with Sasuke sprawled over Naruto, leaning on his elbows as he kissed the blonde softly. Naruto was so beautiful. His skin was rough and scorching warm to the touch, with more muscle than Sasuke would have believed. The perfect brown hue of his torso paled slightly beneath the hip, and Sasuke could feel his eyes drawn to that barely visible tan line, inevitably. It felt like he was being allowed into some secret part of Naruto, and he was quickly feeling himself getting dragged in, irreversibly. The passion was almost blinding, and without thinking, Sasuke spread Naruto's legs with his knees, and pushed his erection into the waiting warmness there. A shout from Naruto made him look up, and he instantly realised his mistake.

"Oww..." Naruto whimpered, laying very still and stiff. Sasuke didn't dare move a muscle, wanting to smack himself, as Naruto's warm inside almost drove him over the edge then and there. His hips were basically shaking with the need to move, and feel that tightness enclosing his whole length, not just the tip. That same tightness alerted him to just how this must feel for Naruto, though.

"God, I don't know what I was thinking! Does it hurt?" He whispered at the blonde boy staring at him with a deep scowl. Naruto's cheeks were flushed and slightly darker than the rest of his face. His eyes were glazed, and wide open, dark blue orbs staring up at him.

"Of course it fucking hurts! It burns like hell! Shit Sasuke." Naruto instinctively wanted to push away from the foreign intrusion. It felt weird and gross, and he seriously wanted to punch Sasuke. As he shifted slightly, the burning pain returned. Laying still, it was mostly weird. It was moving that hurt, so he opted for staying very still.

"Right. Stupid question." Sasuke answered in a uncharacteristically frantic voice, pulling away. The pain spiked again, and Naruto pulled Sasuke back down, swearing profusely as the movement pushed the other boy farther in.

"Fuck! Just don't move, you bastard. We'll have to figure something out, just don't - ah..." It was just the tiniest of movements as he shifted his position beneath the pale boy, but somehow Sasuke had brushed against something, sending an electric jolt throughout Naruto's whole body.

"What was that?" Sasuke asked in a worried tone.

"Nothing, just, just move that way again - ah - careful!" Naruto gasped loudly.

The pain was still there, but when Sasuke moved in just the right direction, it became completely overshadowed by a sensation that almost made Naruto cum right then and there. Sasuke looked down at him curiously, before very gingerly rolling his hips against Naruto.

The reaction was immediate and uncontrolled - Naruto arched his back, digging into the ground with his hands and heels as he pushed against Sasuke, shouting in uncontained lust. Encouraged by the display, Sasuke leaned down across the blonde, grabbing Naruto's warm and slick thigh to lift his leg, while leaning his weight on his other arm next to Naruto's head. Sasuke pumped into Naruto again and again, almost going mad by how tight and warm he felt. Naruto met him at every trust, clawing and pulling at Sasuke, his eyes closed and his lips parted in ecstasy. As the pleasure peaked, Naruto's whole body felt like it exploded in warmth. He curled against Sasuke, choking his loud gasps by biting hard into the pale boy's shoulder. Feeling the other boy tighten and shudder around him, Sasuke erupted into Naruto, groaning deeply into the blonde's sunny hair.

For a while they both just leaned against each other, breathing.

"Wow, never felt like that flying solo..." Naruto eventually chuckled.

"Never felt like that ever, more like it." Sasuke murmured sleepily in agreement, his voice barely audible. Eventually, Sasuke slipped down onto Naruto, and fell asleep. He was pretty heavy, but Naruto didn't really mind. They didn't have to wake up quite yet, after all, and laying like this was warm and soothing. Reality could wait a little longer.

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><p><em>AN: There it is! Hope you enjoyed it. I'm pretty inexperienced in writing lemons, but I wanted this to be kind of awkvard, fast and fumbling, but intense. They are teenagers, after all, and neither is experienced (at least not with other guys). There is one flaming fault with this - do not EVER attempt anal penetration without lube or any warming up. Seriously. That shit will not feel good. Portraying anything else is silly and superficial. This is a fanfiction however, in the lighthearted romance-genre, and therefore I am allowed certain freedoms. It wouldn't feel natural that any of these guys would carry lube around, nor know much about butsmex. I hope I added a touch of realism by making it hurt like hell. Wouldn't want it too gritty though. You'll just have to let me know what you think about that. :D <em>

_Reviews are love!_


	11. Chapter 11

_**Chapter 11 of Nightly Encounters**_

_AN - Two updates in one night! I'm feeling pumped! After a long and mean absence, I am back. This chapter is short, and for that I apologize. I have been stuck for a long time when it comes to this story, because things are getting so serious, and the scenes are harder to write, because I have such clear images in my head for what I want it to be. Still, this one has a lot of action, which is kind of fun, right? I originally intended to write a very long update, but then I received an absolutely adorable review tonight, and I just decided to hell with it. In my guilt, I am posting what I got so far. Thank you to all my reviewers! When things get rough like this, you are what keeps me going. _

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><p><strong>Sasuke did not sleep long. A good thing really, because when he awoke, it was already late in the morning. He smacked himself mentally for being stupid like that. Never mind what it would look like if anyone found them sleeping together, the fact that they were both naked would out him as surely as if he had screamed it out at the top of his lungs. He needed to be more careful for this to work. As he sat up and gathered his things, discreetly tugging on his pants and shirt, Naruto stirred beside him. He smiled down at the blond boy sleeping soundly, marveling at how the bright hair seemed to concentrate all the sunlight around it in one shiny halo. Then he remembered who he was, and the smile quickly turned into his trademark frown.<strong>

When he was clothed, he carefully opened the tent flap and looked around to make sure no one was there, before sneaking outside and towards his tent. He threw his stuff inside the moment he reached it, and moved to crawl inside himself, when he was stopped short in his tracks by the sound of a voice.

"Glad to see you're up! At least some of us got a good nights sleep."

Sasuke turned slowly and glared suspiciously at Kakashi, who looked far too innocent.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He muttered. He did not feel like dealing with Kakashi's mindfucking shit right now.

"Oh, you know. Just that me and Sakura-chan spent the entire night cleaning up in that village, while you and Naruto were snug and comfortable here." Kakashi said with a shrug, flipping open his signature orange book, and burying his nose in it.

Sasuke had to swallow to keep down the relieved sigh that threatened to escape him. He hadn't even thought to worry about their teammates during the night. Stupid, so stupid. He had to stop making these stupid mistakes. Worried that he had revealed anything to the gray-haired teacher - he was scarily intuitive, after all - Sasuke gave Kakashi a hard stare, trying, and failing miserably, to read the masked and carefully blank face.

"Yes... I was just going to come relieve you. Naruto has calmed down, and I think he'll be wanting to help you out too. He's sleeping now, I think." Sasuke answered, trying to get the old man off his back.

"We could both need some sleep. At least Sakura-chan. She never left the injured civilians sides." Kakashi replied off-handedly.

"She's a good doctor." Sasuke did not want to talk about Sakura.

"A great one. She cares for people you see. Just instinctively. Whether they deserve it or not. I don't think she can help it. She's not the best ninja though. Someone like her, they're too easy to hurt. And she doesn't deserve that." Kakashi elaborated, hardly looking up from his book. Sasuke felt the goosebumps rise on his back. Did he know? How could he possibly know?

"No. I guess not. We'll just have to protect our teammates as best as we can, then." He spat out gruffly, eager to get away from this increasingly uncomfortable conversation.

"That's the idea Sasuke..." Kakashi replied softly, before looking up quickly. "Did you say everything is going well with Naruto?"

The fast change of subjects made Sasuke even more suspicious. What was it with Kakashi that always made him feel like a twelve year old genin? "He's sleeping."

"That's good. I came to get some medical stuff for Sakura-chan a few hours ago, and wanted to check in on him. Didn't want to disturb though."

"Is that so? How considerate of you." The blood was pumping inside Sasuke's head, and he was wildly thankful for the inherited Uchiha-stone face.

"Mhm. I went to ask you how he was instead. Only thing, I couldn't find you in your tent." The sentence was uttered lightly, but Sasuke could feel all the weight behind it.

"I was probably out taking a leak. Sorry I missed you." He answered instantly, surprised at his own easy lie.

"No problem, Sasuke-kun. I hope you let Sakura take a look at you later, you got some pretty ugly bruises, after all."

"Nothing much. Most of it is dirt from the fire." Sasuke felt relief was through him at the change of subject.

"Really? I could have sworn I saw you bleeding yesterday morning. You know, when you came to wake us up because of the fire." Sasuke cursed invardly. He should have known Kakashi would pick up on the fight between him and Naruto. "Well, you better be on your way then. Things are pretty calm now, so I think I'm going to take a little nap." Kakashi said with a masked grin and a wave.

"You do that." Sasuke ground out between gritted teeth.

"Yeah. I think we should let Naruto sleep. It's been a rough night for him, after all."

Sasuke almost shuddered at the conspicuously innocent innuendo. What did Kakashi know? What did he think he knew? He couldn't possibly have more than a hunch, but for someone like Kakashi, that was more than enough. He hadn't said anything outright though. He was probably just messing with his head. Kakashi loved pulling shit like that.

He did have to talk to Sakura though. Should have done it a long time ago, really. He'd never been that interested to begin with, and she didn't grow more interesting in time. She was getting kind of clingy actually, especially since he had been ignoring her for a while now. He didn't need her anymore. He was just beginning to see how much more than a stress outlet sex could really be, and he wouldn't let anything ruin that.

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><p>Naruto woke up disorientated and alone. The first thing he noticed was the birds chirping outside, and when he opened his eyes, and saw how light it was, he sat up with a start, immediately falling back down with a groan. Fuck! His lower back hurt like hell!<p>

Naruto was used to sore muscles, but this was something new altogether. It took him a moment to puzzle together the pieces, but when he did, he cursed that sexy bastard to hell and back. After a little work, he managed to pull on his clothes, before crawling out of the tent on all four. He rose very slowly and started stretching, careful at first, but more roughly as he felt the tension in his muscles going slack. The soreness didn't disappear altogether, but it was more of an annoying ache now. He could live with that.

After looking around for a moment, Naruto found Kakashi snoring softly in his tent, and the camp otherwise deserted. Assuming they still had to be down by the village, Naruto headed in that direction. The guilt was a lump in his stomach. Everyone else was working so hard, and here he was lying around and sleeping.

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><p>Two days passed before the village was once again resembling something of what it had once been. All of their skills came to use in the cleanup, but more than anything, Sakura's healing helped save lives. When they finally convinced her that she needed to rest, she went to sleep and didn't wake up for fourteen hours. Finally though, they were called into a meeting with the owners of the mine. They were not pleased, to say the least. Not only had they failed to discover and asses the threat beforehand, but it had even come to a fight right there in the village. Kakashi's calm arguments about the fact that no one had counted on the threat being trained ninja, not to mention that the mission of protecting the village's silver reserves had been carried out without fail was promptly dismissed. They refused to pay the bonus that had been settled on back in Konoha.<p>

"Lady Tsunade will hear of this." Was the last thing they heard before the door was shut in their faces.

"They are right, you know. We didn't do our job. We could have saved lives if we had only looked harder." Naruto admitted begrudgingly as they walked out of the building.

"Don't be so fucking stupid." Sasuke muttered under his breath. "These people we're being too cheap to admit to the fact that they had large groups of rouge ninja in the area. We came here expecting to protect a few rich bastards with too much money on their hands from shadows and imaginary monsters. They're lucky the team that was dispatched was even strong enough to counter the threat. They don't give a damn about any of the workers, they're just trying to get out of the deal without paying for what they recieved."

"He's right you know. We can wring our hearts out because of the lives that were lost, and work towards saving everyone the next time, but when it comes down to it, we accomplished a lot with what we had. The best thing we can do is aim towards saving everyone the next time." Kakashi said with a small smile beneath the mask. "The fact is that if we hadn't been here, the death toll would have been that much higher. Hell, if they had decided on sending anyone less experienced, a team of Konoha ninja might very well have been dead now. Don't beat yourself up about it." He added as he pushed out the door.

Sakura nodded her agreement, before grabbing Naruto's hand and squeezing it in comfort. Naruto still looked upset, but his frown smoothed out. As they walked into the sunlight, a cheer could be heard. Most of the people from the village had gathered outside, applauding them with happy faces. As they walked towards the group, a man stepped forwards, grasping Sakura's hand and shaking it fervently as he looked at the group of Konoha shinobi.

"We just wanted to see you off and thank you for all your hard work. You saved our lives, both during the battle and fire, and in healing the wounded afterwards. Especially you, miss Kunoichi. I am afraid we don't have anything to give you as payment, but you should know that you have our gratitude."

"You see, loser. This is the kind of sappy crap you care for, isn't it?" Sasuke mumbled into Naruto's ear, making the blond boy blush slightly. Despite the harsh words, he appreciated the concern behind them.

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><p><em>AN - This is getting harder to write. I have a new baby in Modern Hearts now, which makes switching to the lighter tone of this one difficult. All the fantastic fanfiction I've read since I started this is also becoming a problem. I started out as a Sasunaru-gal, but now I am slowly becoming more and more Narusasu. I'm having trouble being consistent with my characters because I'm so inspired by all the great authors out there! It'll work out somehow though. I have the whole story planned out, I just have yet to write it. It's hard finding the time, but if you keep on reviewing and being supportive, I'll probably be guilted into continuing, somehow.<em>


	12. Chapter 12

_**Nightly Encounters - Chapter 12**_

_Mood music - My life would suck without you - Kelly Clarkson (or Glee, if you swing that way) - This song really fits Sasuke and Naruto in my head. "I know that I've got issues, but you're pretty messed up too. Either way I've found out, I'm nothing without you." So perfect!_

_AN** - **Once again, I am pushing myself to just get this out, instead of worrying about the tiny details. My stories all get so serious! This was supposed to be a super light romance, but all the characters seem to do is angst! Well, at least the plot is finally moving along nicely. And look, a nice lemon for y'all! Every single review is appreciated immensely, so I hope you take the time. They really guilt me to keep going. I would reply to every single one, but I don't want to seem like a creep... Is that wierd?_

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><p><strong>Sasuke was on the prowl. His prey was within reach, metres away, clearly visible between the thick foliage of the forest. He had not been spotted yet. The element of surprise was on his side, and it would only take him a moment to claim his prize. Not enough time for resistance.<strong>

Flyjumping out of the bushes, Sasuke hit Naruto's back running, throwing the half naked boy to the ground. With a growl, he straddled the blonde and claimed his neck with his mouth, sucking hard, only leaning back when he had left a dark purple bruise in the dip between shoulder and neck. Naruto resisted for a moment, then turned to kiss him with a smile. Sasuke noticed the playful streak in it too late. He was thrown sideways with Naruto on top of him, straight into the clear river running by. The impact with the water was ice cold, and he broke the surface struggling and spluttering.

"What the fuck, Naruto?" He shouted at the equally wet blonde grinning madly at him. The difference was that Sasuke was fully dressed, while Naruto had stripped down to his underwear in order to catch fish.

"Serves you right for attacking me like that. If you're that desperate to give me a hickey, you could've just asked." Naruto winked at him.

"You always squirm so much I can't get it right. It always disappears within a few hours." Sasuke grumbled as he crept onto the riverbank on his hands and knees.

"Great, well you've probably scared off all the fish with all that splashing about. Thanks bastard." Naruto said sternly with his hands on his hips from the middle of the river.

"Good. We've eaten too much fish lately anyway. How do you suppose I explain getting this wet gathering firewood to the others?" He returned just as sourly.

"Just tell them the truth - you fell into a river."

Sasuke snorted in reply splashing some water at Naruto for good measure, before reluctantly walking of to finish his task.

The travel home was long and tiresome, but after days and weeks of boredom, it felt rejuvenating to finally be on the move again. Of course, the indiscretion of always walking in a group offered certain challenges Sasuke had not even thought to consider beforehand. Sakura nagged, Kakashi kept giving him these weird looks, and Naruto was just infuriating with the way he kept walking in front of him, showing of that hot body when he knew Sasuke couldn't as much as touch him in front of the others.

Of course, there was certain highlights to it. Menial tasks related to settling camp, for instance, was much more enjoyable than it used to be. When he had been asked to gather some firewood for decent meal, he had complied and walked of instantly, before promptly circling the camp as soon as he was out of sight to find Naruto who was off hunting for food. These short and secret meetings was the only opportunity he had to get at Naruto without the others noticing when they were on the move. It was almost embarrassing how much he enjoyed the little game. They were only about a day away from Konoha though, and he found himself oddly nervous of what would happen when they got home.

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><p>The sight of the familiar gates after days on the move was welcome, to say the least. They said their goodbyes as soon as they passed the gates, as usual. They would probably meet up sometimes in the near future, as the chances of being put together on missions was smaller than they used to be, but right now, they were all too tired to make a fuss. Sasuke was just about to head in his general direction, fully intent on veering off and catch up with Naruto as soon as he was out of sight, of course, when he was halted by a hand touching his shoulder.<p>

"Sasuke-kun, could we talk for a minute?" Sakura asked hesitantly.

Sasuke kept his face impassive while the annoyance simmered inside. The urge to dismiss the bright haired girl was strong, but he worried she might make a scene, and relented with a unconvincing grunt. He looked over at Naruto, who was looking troubled, to say the least, but as the blond made no move to walk away, he was soon shepherded off by Kakashi. He turned back to Sakura with an expectant air, hoping she would finish whatever she wanted to say soon.

"I was hoping we might do something together. Now that we're back in Konoha, I mean." She asked with a warm smile. "We don't have to go out or anything like that. We could just hang out or something."

Sasuke groaned inwards. Sakura was still suffering under the delusion that they shared something. He had hoped that he wouldn't have to talk to her about it, and that she would simply take the hint on her own, but apparently, she had to be spoon fed everything.

"Look, Sakura. I think you've misunderstood some things here..." He began.

"I know we haven't really been together for a while know. I don't mind. Here in Konoha, there's no chance of anyone finding out." She hurriedly shot in.

Sasuke shot her a glare, before continuing - "I don't think so. We had a nice time, but I'm pretty sure it's better for everyone if this ends here."

"What? What do you mean, Sasuke-kun? Why?" Sakura answered in utter confusion.

"Well, I just think this thing between us has run its course." Sasuke explained with a wave. "We are not dating, Sakura, we never were. And I think it would be better if our temporary arrangement ends here as well. I hope we can get along without any issues regarding this in the future."

"I - we... What did I do wrong, Sasuke-kun?" She whimpered, tearing up. Sasuke wanted to rub his hand across his face, but held back in case the gesture might be interpreted as doubt. He wanted Sakuro to get the message clearly through her thick head, if she insisted on having this conversation.

"You did nothing. We had a convenient arrangement, and a certain kind of chemistry, but it got boring, and inconvenient. Kakashi has even started suspecting things. You will see the sense in a clean break yourself, once you're more level headed. When the arrangement gets muddled with unnecessary feelings, things have gone too far."

"There is nothing wrong in the feelings we have for each other. We care for each other, Sasuke-kun. You don't have to fear that." She said softly, reaching for his arm, but not quite daring to touch him. The expression on her face was patronizing, pulling Sasuke's annoyance into full out anger.

"I am not afraid of something as trivial as emotion. I fear it is you who carry the delusions. The feelings we do have for each other are good - our unlikely friendship is something I appreciate. It is to protect our real relationship that this should end here. We will never be anything but friends, Sakura. I don't think you've fully accepted that. Instead of leading you on, I'm telling you clearly now, so that you might smother any delusions or unnecessary feelings in its birth." He tried to keep his voice coaxing, hoping to convince her calmly. Getting angry at girls always left him with a bad taste in his mouth afterwards.

He could see she was affected by his words. "I'm so happy to hear you say that, Sasuke-kun." She whispered, wiping desperately at her eyes. "If you would just let me take care of you, we could be so good together. You don't have to hide from me, there's no reason to keep me at a distance."

Sasuke was finally losing his patience. She was being too familiar. What right had she to assume she knew what was going on inside his mind? "Sakura, you're forgetting yourself. Stop this pathetic display. You're being a nuisance." He said with ice in his words, before turning to walk away. This was quickly turning into a scene. Sasuke hated making scenes.

She grabbed his arm choking out his name through her tears, but he merely shook her off. He couldn't deal with hysterical women. He hated crying girl.

Sasuke walked away quickly, as if removing himself from the scene physically would help distance himself from the uncomfortable emotions. He had handled that badly. With a wince, he realised how angry Kakashi would be if he found out.

* * *

><p>Naruto was walking to his house from the supermarket calmly, taking his time to reach the worn out loft he called home. It always bothered him, returning to an empty house. That's why he prefered coming home exhausted. No room for thought. Right now, Naruto had too much on his mind. He kept wondering what Sakura-chan and Sasuke were doing. When she had indicated that she wanted to talk to him, Naruto had found himself frozen to the spot. He had told himself over and over again that this was what he wanted. He had been so angry with Sasuke for ignoring Sakura like that, and told him several times that he had to make up his mind and make sure Sakura was aware of that choice. Seeing them together though, he couldn't help but wonder what might happen. What if Sasuke decided that she was what he wanted? It was easier, more right in so many ways, and maybe Sasuke returned her feelings more strongly than he let on. It was a tormenting thought. He realised that being with Sasuke was more important to him than Sakura's happiness. Naruto had never before been forced to admit that he put himself before his friends. He felt sick to his stomach, but couldn't help but desperately wish for Sasuke to turn Sakura down all the same.<p>

As he entered his dank and dusty apartment, he noticed an open window. How could he have forgotten to close that? Had it been open like that this whole time? He would get water damage for sure. He stiffened in surprise as he felt arms wrapping around his midriff, a familiar body pushing against him.

"Sasuke." He smiled, feeling relief and happiness despite himself.

"Hn."

Naruto turned and captured Sasuke's lips, holding his head between his hands, fisting the Uchiha's soft smooth bangs lightly. Sasuke returned the kiss hungrily. Something felt different. Sasuke seemed more desperate than usual, yet his movements were less agressive than normal. It spoke of a genuine and raw need, rather than the usual power play. It made Naruto nervous. He wanted to ask what was wrong, make Sasuke open up and explain this darkness he was sensing. He knew it would not be appreciated though, and so he gave the raven haired boy what he craved and needed, soothing him in this way instead.

They undressed piece by piece as they walked towards the bed, touching, kissing and not breaking the body contact between them overriding the hurried need to get naked. They had not done any kind of penetration since that first time. The time they had together on the move was limited, and it seemed stupid to try something like that again without any kind of lubrication. As Sasuke willingly lay down on the bed below him moving with him and stroking his hair and body though, Naruto couldn't help but letting his hand slide downwards, lightly stroking and fingering the pale boy's entrance, as if asking for permission. Sasuke groaned and bucked lightly against him. Naruto took that as confirmation, and slid down from the edge of the bed onto the floor between Sasuke's legs. They would have to make do with lotion, as it was the closest thing he had to lubricate. He honestly didn't even know where to look for anything more suited. Thankfully the tube was sitting on his bedside table. He leaned down, taking Sasuke into his mouth, while simultaneously preparing him. Sasuke's low moans were incredibly arousing, and the hands that held onto his head lightly but desperately encouraged him to move faster. The other boy never let go completely. Being able to comfort Sasuke like this warmed him to the very core.

When Sasuke was turning more ragged in his movements, Naruto scooted onto the bed again, pushing his tip gently into Sasuke, while stroking his hand up and down the other boy's cock soothingly, keeping the Uchiha distracted from the pain, but not pushing him over the edge of climax. He was a bit nervous, as he honestly had no idea how you were supposed to do this, and Sasuke was letting him take the lead completely.

"Are you alright?" He mumbled nervously, needing some kind of confirmation from Sasuke before proceeding.

Sasuke was more than alright really. The room was blurry around the edges and his vision was swimming a bit. His whole body was mushy and warm. He had never tried letting go like this. With girls, he had always been expected to take the lead, and even with Naruto, the edges between fighting and having sex seemed kind of blurred. His body hadn't needed satisfaction today though. He needed distraction. Distraction from the uncomfortable things crowding his chest and the memories making his head ache. Even though he hardly would admit it to himself, he needed comfort. Naruto seemed to have sensed it almost instinctively, and getting to consentrate on nothing but feeling good was quite incredible. His head was getting crowded again though. Naruto was being too gentle. He needed distraction. Wrapping his legs around Naruto's hips and grabbing his waist, he forced the other teen down, deep into him. It hurt. Tears popped up in the corners of his eyes, and he wanted to squirm away, but it worked. His head was once again empty, except for the physical sensations in the presence, and as soon as the pain had peaked, it subsided and became kind of nice.

"Fuck..." Naruto grinded the word out between his teeth. His jaw was locked tightly, and his eyes had screwn shut the moment Sasuke had moved. Feeling Sasuke enclose him felt freaking incredible. It felt very right. Unable to control himself, he bucked his hips. Encouraged by Sasuke's breathy groan, he began to move at a steady pace. His movements soon turned fast and erratic. He initially intended to make this about Sasuke as much as possible, but he couldn't help himself, it felt amazing and right, Sasuke was moving with him, and they felt so in tune he got lost in his own pleasure. He grabbed Sasuke's member, pumping to push him over the edge. Sasuke arched his back against him, and the moment he felt Sasuke's body tighten in climax, he lost all control.

After panting in the sweaty heap of limbs their body was entwined in for a while, Naruto reluctantly got to his feet. He fetched some paper to wipe both their stomachs clean of any sticky semen, before laying down on the bed again, nudging Sasuke to the side so he could wrap his arms around the thin boy, craddling him against his chest. He kissed Sasuke's neck, before falling asleep. Sasuke was already long gone at this point. He was sleeping peacefully.

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><p><em>AN - Poor Sasuke acts like a bastard again. I still believe in him at least, even though I might be the only one at this point. Anyone else thinks finding the right synonym for penis is difficult? I mean, do you go with bodice ripping-words like member, dodging the subject with words like hardness, straight and rough cock, clinical penis or wimpy dick? (Dick is probably my least favorite. Sounds like something a rapist jock from an eighties movie would say.) ...Or am I the only one who obsess over this kind of thing?<em>


	13. Chapter 13

**AN - Hello. I am not dead! I do however seem to have been struck down with a very serious case of the writer's block. Every time I have sat down to write something over the last few months, I never seem to get past the first few sentences. It's quite frustrating. I feel very bad for leaving this story hanging like this, but there's really not much to do when I can't get it out... My baby is getting pretty difficult to write anyway. So many issues to get through before the end. I wonder if anyone will be surprised by the twists I have decided on. So anyway, I decided to upload this even though it is short. It is the best I have been able to do lately, and with all the exams I'm flooded in right now, it's kind of irresponsible of me to be writing this fluff at all. So there you go. I can't promise much for the future, but I will do my very best to finish. But don't worry, I won't leave it to die on the sidewalk. If worst comes to worst, I'll let you know the ending!**

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><p><strong><strong>"Ow."<strong>**

Naruto was woken from deep slumber by Sasuke's low moan, and flipped over tiredly, only to find the other boy frozen in the act of crawling out of bed somewhere above him. Sasuke had his hands on each side of Naruto, a knee still in bed, and his other leg outstretched across Naruto and touching the floor. His expression of confused pain would have been hilarious, if it wasn't so worrying.

"You alright there?" He murmured from beneath the covers, slightly happy to have caught Sasuke in the act of trying to escape. Sasuke was just the sneakiest bastard ever, and always managed to escape while Naruto was still in oblivion. The sun was shining now though, so clearly Sasuke had slept soundly all night.

"I, um, seem to be experiencing a rather worrying stiffness in my lower back." Sasuke replied calmly, not moving from his awkward crouch.

Naruto took a moment to process Sasuke's words through his sleep muddled brain. "You mean your butt hurts?"

"No. Yes, no, well kind of, but not really." Sasuke replied, confusion battling annoyance and the beginnings of a marvelous blush creeping across his face.

Once again, Naruto battled the urge to laugh. He mulled over Sasuke's assessment for a moment, before realisation struck him. "OH! Of course. It's because of, you know - what we did."

"The what?"

"The sex. Yesterday. It hurt the first time you did it to me too. In the morning, I mean. Like, really stiff."

"Really?" Sasuke replied, seemingly relaxing a bit. "Wait - that means this is your fault."

"Hmmmaybe..." Naruto replied grinning sheepishly, and quickly added - "it passes quickly, I swear!" Before Sasuke could throttle him.

After a little help from Naruto, Sasuke finally got to his feet, but after a quick trip to the toilet, it was decided upon that Sasuke should definitely stay in bed, for now. Naruto, feeling horribly guilty, proceeded to nurse the other man, to the best of his abilities. They were both utterly worn out from the drawn out mission, and therefore spent most of the day in bed, dozing off until late into the afternoon.

When they woke up again and Sasuke's back still hurt, Naruto's confusion was palpable. He was scrambling around in the kitchenette, trying to find something edible to quench the hunger pangs, while Sasuke lay growling under the covers, trying his best to set fire to Naruto with his eyes.

"I'm sorry, alright! What do you want me to say? It didn't hurt like that for me." Naruto exclaimed in exasperation when Sasuke sat up with a wince to eat, and shot him another dark glare through thick bangs.

"Well, maybe you should have thought of the fact that we're not all blessed with demonic healing powers before ripping me in half." Was Sasuke's grumbled reply.  
>By nightfall, Sasuke was recovering enough to make his way home.<p>

"You could stay, you know. I'm not kicking you out or anything." Naruto said with uncertainty as Sasuke hoisted his backpack onto one shoulder.

"No clean clothes. We'll see each other again soon anyway." Then he was gone.

Truth be told, Naruto had relished Sasuke's company. For once in his life, he had returned home from a mission and been met with something other than silence. Loneliness was a constant companion in Naruto's life, but he felt it most keenly after spending days and weeks with other people. For once, his apartment had been a place he had wanted to spend time in, not an empty room he tried his best to escape from. It hurt to see him go, but he knew Sasuke would be back. The Uchiha was a loner, and probably needed some space right now, but he always seemed to come back in the end.

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><p>The Uchiha compound was expansive and luxurious, and calm. More than anything, it was calm. It was an odd thing, really. A large piece of land, in a central location of Konoha, completely desolate. His brother had killed the whole Uchiha clan at once. It was nothing that could have been anticipated, and as a consequence there was no one left to inherit it other than Sasuke. The last Uchiha. The property could not be sold until Sasuke came of age, and somehow the idea of selling his ancestors land, the last physical evidence of their existence in Konoha, revolted him.<p>

It always made him feel cold to walk down the familiar quarter though. Just a turn in the busy street, and all of a sudden he was walking in a ghost town. It was slowly falling apart, everything but the house his parents had inherited in the heart of the compound was being reclaimed by nature. Much like the Hyuuga, the Uchiha did not do extended families. If the Uchiha's had been less reclusive, more open to new impulses, less proud of their gifted blood, there could have been others to populate the area and take care of it - but there was not even that remote likeness of family. Itachi had been too thorough.

It always felt strange to be completely alone after a mission where you spent every waking second in other people's company. This complete desolation was something he never got used to. He'd survive though. He wasn't a child anymore. He had gotten along fine on his own until now - no reason it should be any different this time. He was proud of his ability to appear aloof and unaffected. Proud of how he had never needed anyone since his older brother brutally bereaved him of a childhood.

The last Uchiha skulked down the silent street, his steps echoing off the nearby walls. Home again. Alone again.

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><p><strong>AN - Is it just me, or did this romantic comedy-ish veer wildly off track somewhere around the halfway point, straight on into angstytown? Damn you genre, damn you! I guess you can't stop the story once it's set its mind on something, and this little beasty has some very firm ideas of what it wants to be. As always, reviews are appreciated. Appreciated in a squeels-of-delight-can't-stop-smiling kind of way. They guilt me into keeping up with the story, and reminds me that there are real people reading this, not just numbers. Hope you can forgive for being slow and unreliable.<strong>


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